Internet access has finally become a human right
Turning the world upside down, the Finnish Government has announced
the access to the broadband Internet as a basic human right. According
to Finland's Government this legal process comes in to effect from mid
2010. To make this decision more meaningful, the Finnish Government has
decided to take 1Mbps as a basic broadband service.
This entitles all citizens to get at least 1Mbps broadband service to
their homes and offices respectively. This shows the place occupied by
the broadband in today's world. The socio-economic revolution created by
the telephone in the last century is about to be recreated by the
ascendant high speed broadband Internet in all over the world.
Broadband has managed to create many excitements in the world. Those
countries where broadband Internet is successful have taken certain
measures to promote high-speed broadband development. Almost in every
example there is one thing we could see as common.
Internet access for all: Basic human right
It is the direct intervention of the Government. The above referred
Finnish Government's action is a good example. However this is not the
first time such a thing to take place in the world. As we know the South
Korean Government has taken very effective measure not only to promote
IT but also to promote broadband.
Today, South Korea is regarded as the birthplace of modern broadband.
This simply reflects the successfulness of the decisions that has been
taken by the Korean Government in mid 90's.
If we look at the regional countries they all have taken certain
measures and initiatives to integrate high speed broadband Internet in
their countries. India, Pakistan, Singapore and Bangladesh are taking
the lead in Asia.
Among these countries some have implemented policies for high speed
broadband Internet while others have moved further and introduced QoS
(Quality of Service) in broadband services. Whatever the initiative it
really reflects the significant role that the high speed broadband
Internet is playing in the world.
This broadband enthusiasm is very active in the European region.
There are lots of exciting things taking place in all over the Europe.
The European lawmakers and regulators are busy with making policies and
other legislations that assure the growth of high speed broadband
Internet in respective societies.
Not only the legal framework but the physical infrastructure
facilities are also being upgraded. New technologies and fiber networks
have been laid across the streets with massive capacities by enabling
the transportation of bulky data between peers.
As we turn back to Sri Lanka, many doubts may arise over the
development of high speed broadband and its penetration. Sri Lanka's
broadband diffusion is insignificant and the market is more or less a
Though we have adopted broadband early, its penetration level still
remain low and inadequate to drive the market forward. As a result, the
anticipated benefits of broadband could not be attained timely and we
have missed lots of market opportunities in the competitive world.
This is something we cannot afford. Sri Lanka must make its global
presence strong in IT field. To make this happen Sri Lanka must soon
convert into a supplier of digital goods and services to the global
This could be a very challenging task. As we know, the competition is
everywhere. South Asian region is very famous for IT related business.
From back office IP BPO business to software developing industry others
in the region are also competing with us. Therefore the time has come to
realize these facts before it's too late.
The required actions must be taken and the entire country must be
awakened to take the challenges of IT. It could be a political decision
or a policy level decision. But whatever it is the Government must come
forward to take necessary actions.
This is the reason why we are always emphasizing the importance of
Government's involvement. If reforms are needed to be done to make sure
this is happening at all levels without facing difficulties, the
Government's firm action would be required. Therefore if we are looking
for a mass scale IT development in Sri Lanka, the Government has to
realize the work role that is required of it.
Broadband is the under current in IT development. IT development
leads economy to foster. This mutual relationship would have been the
reason to call broadband Internet as a catalyst for economic development
in the world. Therefore if we really needs to make Sri Lanka an IT hub
in the region, there is no argument, we need to promote and develop high
speed broadband Internet in our civil society at the earliest possible
If we roll along with this broadband market model we never reach
there in time. Initially there are lots to be done; especially from the
Government side. Some reforms and new regulations would be needed to be
introduced to the sector in addition to infrastructure development.
However, development of physical infrastructure would be essential as
well. But first we need to identify the market requirements. Building
infrastructure in ad-hock basis could be another burden to the sector.
Whether it's public or private funds, unnecessary investments in
infrastructure development could increase market failures. On the other
hand building physical infrastructure would not be possible as long as
some legal barriers remain in the sector. Therefore the Government must
develop a practical mechanism to address all these issues what standing
in the middle of the broadband development path.
In Sri Lanka people are not aware of the benefits of broadband. Apart
from this, there is no nationally recognized program to make public
awareness in the country. Digital divide is high and many do not even
have basic medium to access the Internet while others are paying
exorbitant charges for nominal broadband services.
Highly priced broadband services have prevented the users from
experiencing the real fast Internet services. Many applications find
difficulty running smooth on the Internet due to the poor data transfer
speeds thus preventing innovation. In fact knowledge based society leads
innovation. Absence of innovation means we are not building a
knowledgeable society in Sri Lanka. But this is one of the key aspects
in broadband and is regarded as an important factor in socio-economic
This is not the time to make broadband access a human right in Sri
Lanka. But to make sure all citizens will get access to high speed
Internet facility at affordable price; it is the duty of the Government
to take some effective measures soon. The national priority should be
given to the high speed broadband Internet and the Government must take
the leadership in broadband adoption.
All e-Government services must be turned in to high capacity
interactive services and people must be provided with the fast access
service respectively. National policy for broadband could also be used
to identify and recommend solutions that are needed for the achievement
of explosive growth in high speed broadband in Sri Lanka.
New standards must be introduced to the broadband whilst making a
national goal. In this regard high speed broadband above 10Mbps must be
provided to all citizens in the country at affordable price by the end
of year 2013. To achieve these goals national infrastructure must be
developed with fiber and wireless technologies to meet the growing
demands in explosive bandwidth. The existing cooper networks must be
converted in to Fiber-Cooper hybrid networks to overcome the limitations
in cooper-based services in the process of provisioning high bandwidth
services. Technologies such as DOCSIS could also be employed in the
existing cable services and new cable networks could also be laid in
rural areas too.
High speed broadband Internet is critical in socio-economic
development. Therefore Sri Lanka must adopt an aggressive broadband
development strategy soon. This allows making future plans according to
requirements that would lead to data communications to prosper
vigorously. If broadband market is lagging and penetration is low, there
is no alternative action than Government taking the leadership in
broadband Internet development.