Information
and Communication Technology has played a crucial role in speeding up the flow
of information from the government to citizens, transforming the way the two
parties interact and communicate. Government bodies have shifted or are in the
process of shifting from a traditional paper-based system to a fully automated
set-up, with the aim of enhancing transparency and accountability. Telecom
tools are being increasingly used in the governance process, not only to
perform key functions, but also to provide information in a structured manner.
The most important aspect in this regard is e-governance, an IT-enabled route
to achieve good governance, as it integrates people, processes,
information and technology to enhance the delivery of basic services. For
utilities, IT brings resource efficiency gains by managing information flows
and analyzing data. Thus, utilities involved in the water, power, piped gas,
liquefied natural gas and waste disposal segments are banking on telecom for
the effective delivery of services.
At
present, government bodies as well as utilities are looking forward to the
adoption of new technologies to achieve business goals more readily and cost
effectively. They are focusing on strong broadband networks for supporting
advanced applications and communication. The announcement of the Digital
India Initiative by the government reaffirms the government’s commitment to
creating an enabling platform for the delivery of education, health care,
entertainment and e-commerce services to citizens. Apart from connecting rural
India through broadband services, the initiative will work towards building a
digital governance framework to equip local governments to ensure improved
administrative ability, as well as lend transparency to administrative work.
The
telecom networks for the government and utility agencies are generally based on
IP-wide area network (WAN) connections. Their triple-play service ability makes
them a suitable choice for government agencies and utilities, as they provide
access to voice, data and broadband on a single platform. They facilitate
information flow, support the use of spatial and geospatial technologies, and
facilitate the use of remote sensing satellite images for inventory and mapping
of resources. They also support technologies such as geographic information
systems (GIS). Of late, government organisations have also started deploying
ISDN, IP-VPN, Ethernet WAN and multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) services,
aside from IP-WAN.
Further,
many web-based applications, along with audio- and videoconferencing, are now
being used by organisations. Various utilities depend on technologies like
optic fibre cable and radio frequency in order to connect with their end-users.
With the enhanced operation complexity of the utilities, the use of IT- and
software-based applications has also increased. The most commonly used
applications in public sector organisations include enterprise resource
planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), supply chain management
(SCM) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA).
Organization
and government bodies are planning to expand or upgrade their IT infrastructure
by investing in hardware and software applications. Many organisations have
recently expanded their fleet of desktops and laptops, and many others plan to
add to them in the near future. With most government organisations being based
on the NIC, their decision to adopt IT is not independent. However, this has
its upside, since their dependence on the NIC ensures continuous support from
IT experts.
IT
enablement helps utilities in the power, gas and water distribution sectors to
move to a paperless environment, and ensure improved connectivity and increase
operational efficiency.
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