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'Telangana homes are more tech savvy' Rohit PS, TNN Aug 7, 2013, 03.18AM IST HYDERABAD: For all its claims of backwardness, homes in Telangana are more tech savvy compared to coastal Andhra homes. And twiddling mobile phones or scrolling computer screens are not Hyderabadis, but rural population of Telangana. About 62% of the homes in Telangana have mobile phones as against 46% in coastal Andhra even though the latter has higher number of households and a higher population, the latest census data figures show. Social scientists point out that greater numbers for a region represent demand for the technology products besides indicating uses that are meant for development purpose. "The use of computers and mobile phones points is an indicator of prosperity in the Telangana region. High penetration also shows that the skill and development level of people is higher compared to other two regions of the state," said Dr Devendra Panth, chief economist at India Ratings. Urban areas of Rangareddy and Hyderabad are the biggest contributors to absolute numbers in Telangana. Surprisingly the picture does not change when a comparison is made of rural areas alone in both the regions. The census data once again shows greater cell-phone penetration in Telangana region with 30.3 lakh homes in rural Telangana having mobile phones compared to coastal Andhra's 26.6 lakh rural households, a sizeable 14% difference. The data also shows that numbers are equal albeit a small difference when rural areas of the districts from both regions are compared sans the urban parts. The total number of homes with computers in Telangana stands at 2.58 lakh while it is 2.64 lakh in Andhra region. Taking into account urban areas, computer penetration in Telangana is much higher compared to coastal Andhra owing to large number of homes in Hyderabad and urban Rangareddy using computers. Historically and also in recent times, lack of education and development in Telangana was cited among reasons for the demand for a separate state. Panth added that the numbers also reflect a difference in the sub-state economies. In rural areas, mobile phones are used as a one-way communication tool by families to communicate with kin who have migrated to urban areas. Interestingly, though the penetration density of computers in rural Rayalaseema was found to be marginally higher than that of coastal Andhra, the cell-phone penetration density was higher by 11%. Telangana however has the highest cell-phone and computer penetration density among the three regions of the state as shown by the data. TRAI estimates show that in a few years, Andhra Pradesh would have more cell phones than people, given the growth of mobile subscribers in recent years. "There is a huge scope for growth in rural areas as urban areas are expected to saturate soon," a telecom trade analyst said. |
