Roti, kapda, makaan aur mobile

India is ranked third when it comes to minutes of mobile usage across the globe. The telecom sector alone directly contributes as much as $35 billion annually to the economy. It is estimated to have offered employment to as many as 150,000 employees during the recession.
Telecommunications is a means to the end and has transformed the way of life for every Indian. Considering that for every 10 per cent increase in mobile penetration rate, there would be a 0.6 per cent increase in GDP, telecommunications can be designated as a vital contributor to the economic growth of this country.
The prosperity that the telecom sector has weaved into the Indian society is one of the pivotal reasons for the growth of the middle income group. This group has obtained significance and their purchasing power has grown because they are able to reach out to the world at the touch of a button. By 2015 this group will account for 60 per cent of the households in India as compared to 25 per cent in 2001.
The mobile device has also played an empowering role in controlling the spread of diseases by offering healthcare and allied services at the touch of a button. It has helped combat epidemics such as HIV/AIDS and malaria by supplying information on treatment and control, generating awareness, improving access to and connectivity with health centres, and establishing the mobile testing of diseases.

In India, 54 per cent of the people have mobile phones compared to the 15 per cent banked population. Banks are looking at the mobile as a medium to penetrate the interior and remote areas of the country. The world of m-commerce is likely to transform the way people bank and pay for goods and services. Operators and handset manufacturers are working together to build applications which will allow people to carry their wallets in their mobile phones. The phone will act as a debit card, a credit card, a means for fund transfers and balance enquiry, all at the touch of a finger. This reality of one-touch banking has become a possibility only because of the mobile phone.
Today almost every person, whether rich or poor, owns or intends to own a mobile phone. The mobile phone has lost its snob value and has emerged as a necessity in every household of India. It is one of those things which erase the gap between the different sections of society. In a way, the mobile phone brings all the Indians on to a single platform, where the key demand of every user is to remain connected.
The mobile has transformed the way people do business. The home delivery model has flourished because of the aggressive mobile uptake. Today we can order almost anything over the phone and have the same delivered to our doorstep.
The world of 3G, which has recently been unveiled in this country, has made video calling a reality. Today every Indian family can buy a video calling phone for less than Rs 5,000 and talk to their near and dear ones on a real time basis. Real time calling can help a country like India, where people across remote locations may not be able to access education and health services with ease. The world of video calling can act as a blessing in disguise for the people in these remote locations.
This device has in a way brought the entire world into the palm of every Indian. The need of the common man was earlier limited to roti, kapda aur makaan. But, today the mantra is roti, kapda, makaan aur mobile.