Kalam seeks $200 bn for India's ICT sector

President A P J Abdul Kalam asked the Indian IT industry on Wednesday to focus more on high end products while projecting that the market for information, communications and technology would touch $200 billion by the year 2010.

Speaking at Infocom 2006, jointly organised by Nasscom and Business World, Kalam said that West Bengal was emerging as a major force in the ICT sector.

Industry sources estimate the present market size at $30 billion. He said the Indian IT sector should focus more on high-end product development to make the ICT industry grow to that extent.

In the mid-1990s, the growth of the ICT sector was non-linear, Kalam said. However, the industry was expected to grow at a sequential growth of around 25 per cent to 27 per cent with $60 billion of exports by the year 2010.

Kalam also urged the software industry to focus on other areas under the national e-governance plan.

The president suggested the IT industry should promote creation of BPO industry in Tier 2 cities, establishing joint ventures with countries like Philippines and Korea and providing connectivity to rural people.

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