David McNamee
06-02-2004, 03:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.thestandard.com/article.php?story=20040527232143939' target='_blank'>http://www.thestandard.com/article.php?story=20040527232143939</a><br /><br /></div>Feeling that 3G just isn't cost-effective, India's new minister for IT and communications expects India to go straight to 4G. According to Dayanidhi Maran, India will "... leapfrog this generation and develop 4G technology. India has an opportunity with its large market and high technical skills to be a significant player in this field. We are going to set up a National Center for Excellence in this area."<br /><br />Translation: "Nobody really knows what 4G is, so we're going to make it." Best of luck to them. I suspect that there is more than a little political braggadocio here. Being a dyed-in-the-wool free-market capitalist, I'm fairly skeptical of initiatives from India's new government. However, there are plenty of smart technology people in India who will likely be working on this. They might have a chance to overcome political obstacles and really influence the next generation of wireless communications.