From miles to mbps: the new digital reality

A digital economy is like any other economy. Except that it works differently, with different tools, pace, habits, and ecosystems. So how many of these have been cracked well in India? And has the pandemic slowed us down or pushed us ahead on this road?

An interesting panel at the DQ Digital Leadership Conclave came up with some hard-hitting answers at the panel discussion on Digital Economy. And most of them galvanised on the need to have a digital mindset and an ecosystem – working in islands would not help anymore.

The whole of India has adopted digital across education, healthcare and more. Today, the first choice is an online doctor consultation for a healthcare need.

— Neeta Verma, Director General, National Informatics Centre

From gym trainers who can do immersive training to maids using YouTube for recipes – everyone is, and will be, adapting to technology.

— Vinish Bawa, Head of Emerging Business, India Market, Nokia

We became fast

Why are we discussing the digital economy now when we are on this path for some time already? This poignant remark from the session moderator Sukanta Dey, CEO of Sdela Consulting, holds a lot of cues.

“Necessity has driven innovation, and so has the pandemic. No wonder, India has accelerated the digital journey. The country is very tech-savvy, from the humble ricksha wallah to the urban smartphone owner. The use of digital economy by our citizens is very high,” What we saw in the pandemic was a fast track, echoed Neeta Verma, Director General, National Informatics Centre.

“During the pandemic, technology has been the center of the action, across all walks of life. Digital transformation is at the core of strategy for every enterprise – private, public, government, everyone. We have seen how the whole of India has adopted digital across education, healthcare, and more,” she said.

“The adoption is so remarkable that otherwise, it would have taken us years to bring this change. Today, for instance, the first choice is an online doctor consultation when it comes to a healthcare need. Digital India, Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, and Make in India will give us a different level of digital confidence and last-mile inclusion as we keep progressing at the policy level,” Verma added.

Speaking of which, one is naturally nudged towards the digital forces that have emerged stronger during the pandemic. Yugal Kishore Sharma, Chief Executive Officer, ONEOTT iNTERTAINMENT spelled out how contactless and experiential future e-commerce are enabling the engines of this new genre of the economy.

“India has quickly adapted to a lot of changes. There are so many mobile platforms and smartphone devices. The world has split into two big halves – before and after corona – and has pushed a fast-forward button which is unprecedented,” he said.

Sharma further added that while his organisation embraced the ‘stay home, stay online, and stay safe’ mantra in the first wave, the mantra would continue to stay for some time to come. “Almost all applications are now coming up from home. From a distance, the current digital divide between the haves and have-nots looks interesting. Today, everyone has a level-playing field,” he said.

For a resilient economy, we need to focus on the four pillars of digital economy, collaborative digital environment, digital society and trusted use of data.

— Golok K Simili, Chief of Technology, Ministry of External Affairs

The world has split into two big halves – before and after corona – and has pushed a fast-forward button. Almost every part of our daily life is online now.

— Yugal Kishore Sharma, Chief Executive Officer, ONEOTT iNTERTAINMENT

He also pointed out that e-commerce platforms have become part of one’s life. “Almost every part of our daily life is online now. The digital economy will play a much more important role ahead, also as every citizen is well-versed with digital applications. The best part is that government machinery and connectivity aspects are becoming strong. It is like the kaccha-road-to-highway transformation that has changed the infrastructure in the country. The real transformation at a multiplier level will be taken care of by digital infrastructure.”

We became fluid

As to reimagining customer journey during COVID-19, Vinish Bawa, Head of Emerging Business, India Market, Nokia, explained how technology is a critical piece in all this change. “Everyone in an average Indian house is using high bandwidth today. Look at the sheer uptick in usage of broadband and data. Soon, even the pets in the house will find ways to use data,” he quipped and elaborated how exponentially the needs of customers have gone up. “Economies and societies have to still adjust to the new digitised reality. There is no alternative. From gym trainers who can do immersive training to maids using YouTube for recipes – everyone is and will be, adapting to technology. That’s where 5G will be relevant as data increases even further in usage.”

But can such an economy also be a resilient one? Golok K Simili, Chief of Technology, Ministry of External Affairs, unraveled that aspect well by touching upon four pillars that we need to focus on. “Digital economy, collaborative digital environment, digital society and trusted use of data. We need a hyperscale data center. We should also consider the kind of digital work happening in India and globally, various applications and services as well as data localisation happening here. The future looks promising.”

We are becoming futuristic

As contactless transactions, online communication and experiential technologies are becoming the new normal, as homes are evolving into new centers of education, work, entertainment, and conference rooms, the economy is opening its arms to new opportunities as well as regulatory challenges which the panel deliberated on from various angles.

Simili emphasised that we need to have a cloud-first approach. “There has to be an approach towards efficiency, cost-benefit ratio, and sustainability. That is not possible by the government alone and we need larger industry participation.” He also discussed how the other core sectors like agriculture and retail gain when the digital economy becomes strong.

Verma reminded me how much we need to cultivate a sharing culture in areas like threat intelligence and a swift incident response team. Other issues such as democratisation of technology, Fibre to the Home (FTTH) networks, and a second wire in the home for backup connectivity were suggested by Sharma. “For me, FTTH is not Fibre to the Home but Future to the Home,” he stated. But then, there is a flip side to all things digital.

Bawa added how devices have expanded in usage, data consumption, and applications. “Security should be paid attention here – from the start to the endpoint. It’s a fundamental issue. Also, devices need to adapt well to new needs like smart factory and smart agriculture.”

Diversity in the country, elimination of middlemen, and digital boosters have shone brightly during the pandemic for the Indian economy. As the panel also concurred, a new era has started for the world after March 2020. Digital is a big leveler and a differentiator as well. But India has its own challenges – the last man standing in the village should get the same benefit as us.

The miles are being defined by Mbps and that’s the way forward. That’s the future. Bright and digital.

By Pratima Harigunani

pratimah@cybermedia.co.in