Telecom Commision okays plan for wi-fi broadband at gram panchayat level

Also approves financing of the project spread across 250,000 villages by USO Fund

The Telecom Commission, on Friday, has given in-principle approval to the proposal of overlaying the government user network over the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) to ensure broadband connectivity at gram panchayat level.

The Telecom Commission, which is the highest decision making authority at the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has also approved that the project spread across 250,000 villages will be funded by the Universal Service Obligation (USO) Fund.

According to a source at the Telecom Commission, the initial capital expenditure of Rs 3,750 crore the project will be provided from the Universal service obligation fund, and the operating expenses of about Rs 1,860 crore (excluding taxes) will be funded by the Ministry of Rural Development.

The project includes setting up a framework for the delivery of high speed broadband or closed user group connectivity from district headquarters and two other locations in the gram panchayats for government services that can be delivered to the public along with a community access to broadband.

The target of the project is to extend vertical connectivity up to district headquarters level and horizontal connectivity to three locations in each gram panchayat for providing government services in partnership with the ministry of rural development. This would ensure community wi-fi connectivity in each gram panchayats.

Bharat Broadband Network Limited will implement the project, and the Ministry of Rural Development will be the anchor institution. The tenure of the project is envisaged as 10 years to ensure viability.

Under the Rs 20,000-crore NOFN project, the government wants to connect 2.5 lakh gram panchayats across the country with optical fibre cable for offering broadband services. According to the plan, the DoT hopes to complete the NOFN project, covering the first one lakh gram panchayats by March 31, 2014, while the overlaying is expected to be completed by September 30, 2014. The next one lakh gram panchayats will be covered with NOFN by March 31, 2015 and overlaying would be completed by July 31, 2015. The remaining 50,000 gram panchyats will be covered by NOFN by December 31, 2015, while completion of the overlaying project is targeted by March 31, 2016. The NOFN is also funded from USO Fund.