256KBPS is broadband in India

I stumbled upon this today. TRAI - regulator of telecommunication in India - has classified 256 KBPS connectivity as Broadband.

“ Broadband connectivity is defined at present as
An ‘always-on’ data connection that is able to support interactive services including Internet access and has the capability of the minimum download speed of 256 kilo bits per second (kbps) to an individual subscriber from the Point Of Presence (POP) of the service provider intending to provide Broadband service……” - http://www.trai.gov.in/Content/broadband_policy.aspx

Earlier in October 2013, they had classified 512 KBPS connectivity (from 256 KBPS) as broadband. This year, they have downgraded further and in fact, dialed it back to what it was before October 2013.

This is no where near - “2 MBPS connectivity is broadband” - what Dayanidhi Maran, the then IT minister had promised in 2007. Since then, many ministers have come and gone and yet we are still in ‘Dial up’ age.