Big opportunity for India’s dotcoms

Are the US Internet companies inching into a situation where there would be an opportunity for countries like India to create another Google? Does India meet all the requirements? What steps should India take?

“It’s time for an Indian rival to Google,” write G Anandalingam and Chris Dellarocas of the Robert H Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, in The Economic Times.

“Before we know it, India can capture a respectable slice of the global search market, and perhaps even become a significant player in the e-Business marketplace,” they say. “Of course, the Indian government needs to not only articulate a crisp and credible policy of protecting user-privacy, but also ensure that any politician meddling with these privacy laws will pay severe penalties.

“In the 20th century, Switzerland was able to successfully leverage its neutrality and build a world-class banking industry around the concept of bank secrecy. In the beginning of the 21st century, a similar opportunity exists around the concept of Internet privacy.”

Coming from global experts, these words indicate the immense potential of India’s communications industry. It is time India showcases its strengths more aggressively while effecting the desired policy changes.