This very readable book describes the recent social changes in Indian society, resulting from the various applications of new communication technologies. The authors discuss the various processes at work in the country both at the governmental level and in private enterprise, the rapid technological developments and their impact on Indian society, the growth of software technology parks, the internet revolution, and the lessons learned so far. They also highlight the role played by the pioneers, visionaries and innovators.

A history of how India became a major player in the global technology industry, mapping technological, economic, and political transformations.

In 2001, India had 4 million cell phone subscribers. Ten years later, that number had exploded to more than 750 million. Over just a decade, the mobile phone was transformed from a rare and unwieldy instrument to a palm-sized, affordable staple, taken for granted by poor fishermen in Kerala and affluent entrepreneurs in Mumbai alike. The Great Indian Phone Book investigates the social revolution ignited by what may be the most significant communications device in history, one which has disrupted more people and relationships than the printing press, wristwatch, automobile, or railways, though it has qualities of all four. In this fast-paced study, Assa Doron and Robin Jeffrey explore the whole ecosystem of the cheap mobile phone. Blending journalistic immediacy with years of field-research experience in India, they portray the capitalists and bureaucrats who control the cellular infrastructure and wrestle over bandwidth rights, the marketers and technicians who bring mobile phones to the masses, and the often poor, village-bound users who adapt these addictive and sometimes troublesome devices to their daily lives. Examining the challenges cell phones pose to a hierarchy-bound country, the authors argue that in India, where caste and gender restrictions have defined power for generations, the disruptive potential of mobile phones is even greater than elsewhere. The Great Indian Phone Book is a rigorously researched, multidimensional tale of what can happen when a powerful and readily available technology is placed in the hands of a large, still predominantly poor population.

The 'Indian Techie' has become a global icon, taking its place alongside McDonalds and MTV as one of the key symbols of contemporary globalization. India and the IT Revolution explores the contemporary emergence of cosmopolitan, high-tech India as marking the arrival of a truly global cyberculture. It argues against the notion that globalization is a process of 'Westernization', which radiates out unilaterally from the core, imposing itself upon a passive, backward periphery. Instead, it conceives of global culture as a dynamic, innovative network, which proceeds primarily from its edges.

This work discusses issues and trends in Global Information Revolution and includes chapters on globalisation, new information and communication technologies, Internet and its impact on society and intellectual property rights.

Telecom, a phenomenon of the 1990s, has been witnessing tremendous growth, contributing to more than 2 per cent of India's GDP. Once considered a luxury, it is now accessible to all sections of society. Penetrating to even the remotest corners of the country, it is now propelling a revolution. Next to China, India is today the second largest telecom market in the world. This book highlights the unique cost structure, tariff regulation, and universal service obligations of basic telecom services. It dwells upon the different stages of spectrum allocation and management, including third generation and broadband wireless services. The trade-off between competition and industry efficiency due to limited spectrum availability and fragmentation is well emphasized. The value chain of the broadcasting sector and unique satellite applications are assessed. The book cites success stories of cost-effective operator services. The reasons for the lagging manufacturing sector in the telecom industry are carefully delineated. Finally, alliances and partnerships amongst different entities in the sector are analysed.

India has become one of the world's emerging powers, rivaling China in terms of global influence. Yet people still know relatively little about the cultural changes unfolding in India today. Craig Jeffrey looks at the history of India, and considers the questions and challenges facing it today, informed by the everyday stories of Indian citizens.

World-renowned economist Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, explains that we have an opportunity to shape the fourth industrial revolu­tion, which will fundamentally alter how we live and work. Schwab argues that this revolution is different in scale, scope and complexity from any that have come before. Characterized by a range of new technologies that are fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds, the developments are affecting all disciplines, economies, industries and governments, and even challenging ideas about what it means to be human. Artificial intelligence is already all around us, from supercomputers, drones and virtual assistants to 3D printing, DNA sequencing, smart thermostats, wear­able sensors and microchips smaller than a grain of sand. But this is just the beginning: nanomaterials 200 times stronger than steel and a million times thinner than a strand of hair and the first transplant of a 3D printed liver are already in development. Imagine “smart factories” in which global systems of manu­facturing are coordinated virtually, or implantable mobile phones made of biosynthetic materials. The fourth industrial revolution, says Schwab, is more significant, and its ramifications more profound, than in any prior period of human history. He outlines the key technologies driving this revolution and discusses the major impacts expected on government, business, civil society and individu­als. Schwab also offers bold ideas on how to harness these changes and shape a better future—one in which technology empowers people rather than replaces them; progress serves society rather than disrupts it; and in which innovators respect moral and ethical boundaries rather than cross them. We all have the opportunity to contribute to developing new frame­works that advance progress.

India, long known for its huge population, religious conflicts and its status as not-quite best friend ally of the United States has moved from the backwaters of world attention to centre stage. Afghanistan and Pakistan with whom India is in almost conflict, are neighbours. India has developed a nuclear capability which also has a way of grabbing attention. This book discusses current issues and historical background and provides a thorough index important to a better understanding of this diverse country.