In the past six years, China’s market has grown exponentially from $5 million (Rs 20 crore) to $1 billion (Rs 4,000 crore). But gaming has failed to take off in India. The current $180-million (Rs 720-crore) market is projected to grow to just $424 million (Rs 1,696 crore) by 2010, according to a Nasscom report. India hasn’t yet tapped into this business, though companies such as Reliance Communications have launched websites such as Zapak.com aimed at online gamers. The company is now planning to roll out exclusive gaming cafes called Zapak Zones on the lines of the Korean PC bangs (cyber cafes).

Yet another major area that relies heavily on speed and bandwidth is telemedicine, which is about offering high-tech medical services such as online consultations in far-flung areas by using high-speed lines. But service providers complain they are significantly constrained and are not able to offer the entire spectrum of tele-medicine services. “What we are offering now is tele-consulting, not tele-medicine,” says Ashish Srivastava, president of strategic initiatives at Apollo Hospitals, in Hyderabad. The patient’s X-Ray or an ECG is forwarded to the doctor who cannot check it online, forcing the patient to return the next day for medication. Srivastava points out that in some locations there is no connectivity available.

Telemedicine, a $10-billion (Rs 40,000-crore) industry globally, is a key consumer of broadband in countries that have been able to offer the bandwidth. But in India, at $50 million (Rs 200 crore), it hasn’t even reached critical mass. According to a FICCI study, telemedicine business in India has a market potential of $500 million (Rs 2,000 crore). Hospital Chains such as Apollo hope to set up at least 250 telemedicine centres over the next three years.