The Union Cabinet has given its approval to a groundbreaking last-mile broadband connectivity initiative for 6.4 lakh villages across India. This initiative is part of the BharatNet project, which has a budget of Rs 1.39 lakh crore. The decision was made to address the pressing need for improved internet access in rural areas.
Currently, around 1.94 lakh villages have already been connected through the BharatNet project. The remaining villages are expected to be connected within the next two and a half years. According to reliable sources, the Cabinet has allocated Rs 1,39,579 crore for providing optical fiber-based internet connectivity to every household in the country.
Collaboration between BBNL, VLEs
In order to achieve last-mile connectivity for the BharatNet project, Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), a subsidiary of the state-owned BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited), will partner with village-level entrepreneurs (VLEs). This collaboration aims to ensure efficient and effective broadband connectivity reaches the grassroots level in the villages.
After successfully completing a pilot project, a model was established to bring fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) with the help of local entrepreneurs. The pilot project initially connected villages in four districts and was later expanded to cover 60,000 villages in most states,” as per reliable sources.
BBNL provides customer premise equipment and additional fiber for connecting homes, while local entrepreneurs are responsible for maintaining the network. The pilot project involved approximately 3,800 entrepreneurs who provided 3.51 lakh broadband connections across 60,000 villages. The average data consumption per household was recorded at 175 gigabytes per month.
Project to create 2.5 lakh jobs
The project operates on a revenue-sharing basis of 50% between BBNL and VLE, with monthly broadband plans starting from Rs 399. It is worth noting that there are 37 lakh route kilometers (rkm) of Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) laid in the country, out of which BBNL has laid 7.7 lakh rkm.
According to a source, “The broadband connection has started empowering rural areas. People have access to healthcare services from global doctors, businessmen are providing tutorials on YouTube, families are saving money on preparation for competitive exams, and many other use cases are emerging.” It is expected that this project will generate 2.5 lakh jobs in the country.
(With PTI inputs)
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Omprakash Tiwary is a business writer who delves into the intricacies of the corporate world. With a focus on finance and economic landscape. He offers readers valuable insights into market trends, entrepreneurship, and economic developments.
