India will become one of the top 10 telecom powers in the world by the year 2006, Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, said in New Delhi on Saturday, at the Pravasi Bhartiya conference. 

Ambani also urged the government to shed its "rigid attitude" and controls in areas like education to enable India to become a global powerhouse in knowledge.

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"We will be among the top 10 by 2006 as far as telecom sector is concerned, from our present rank of 46th," said Ambani whose group company made a big splash in the telecom services industry, introducing 40 paise a call on mobile phone.

For India to grow fast in telecom and other industries, Ambani said, the developed world must lift barriers to exports of Indian products and services.

"The developed world is gripped by paranoia of protectionism... Global leadership for India cannot come about if access to markets - for goods, services and professional resources - in other parts of the world is stifled," he said.

Complimenting the government for its telecom policies, which resulted in achievement of the targeted teledensity of seven per cent ahead of schedule, Ambani said such policies were also needed in electricity, civil aviation and other sectors.

Reliance Infocomm, a flagship company of Rs 65,000 crore (Rs 650 billion) Reliance Group, has invested over Rs 18,000 crore (Rs 180 billion) in the telecom sector. It claims to have created a subscriber base of over 50 million within nine months of starting services last year.

Advocating free market access, Ambani said the Indian political and economic leadership must skillfully promote the interests of Indian trade in global conclaves.

Promotion of trade would call for several bilateral and multilateral trade agreements with other countries, he said, adding there was also an urgent need to develop efficient infrastructure within the country to support global trade.

Emphasising the need for technology-led higher education in science and technology, Ambani said, "We have one of the largest educational systems in the world... But one that is the most rigid and highly controlled."

From curriculum, student strength, admissions, faculty salaries to student fees, virtually every single aspect of the university system is regulated, he said.

"This is much like the License Raj of yester-years. All this must change. Our education sector must be radically reformed if India has to attain global leadership in idea and innovation," Ambani said.

Outlining his action plan for transforming India's into a global leader, he asked the government to take bold decision in the areas of science and technology.