In a major boost to the efforts of Andhra Pradesh to provide 100 Mbps Internet connections to all households, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MoCIT) has appreciated the A.P. Fibre Grid Project and suggested that other States could follow the A.P. model for taking Internet to every nook and corner of the country.
In a letter to Chief Secretaries and IT Secretaries of States recently, MoCIT Secretary J.S. Deepak stated that Phase-II of National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) project would involve the laying of Optical Fibre Cables (OFC) over electricity poles and participation of States was important.
This is where A.P’s innovative approach of mapping the power lines with the help of smart phones and Geographic Information System (GIS) and laying of 1,000 km of aerial OFC in a span of three months came into picture as a significant milestone.
Mr. Deepak wrote that once the GIS-based mapping of poles was completed in States, the MoCIT would be able to make an assessment of the length that could be covered by aerial OFC and observed that the digital mapping of power lines would be a tool that could be used for other applications including the installation of smart meters in the rural areas in the future.
Funds for mapping
The MoCIT, Mr. Deepak stated, would provide funds for GIS mapping of the power lines from block to Gram Panchayat (GP) level. A video-conference would be held with State Power and IT Secretaries on May 23 for sharing the strategy required for successful nationwide rollout of NOFN covering 2.50 lakh GPs.
Sharing the content of the letter with top officials in Power and Infrastructure Departments, Principal Secretary (Energy, Infrastructure and Investment) Ajay Jain complimented the efforts of A.P. State Fibernet Ltd. for achieving the recognition from Government of India.
The target is to provide on demand, affordable and end–to–end broadband connectivity of 15 to 20 Mbps for households and 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps for institutions and enterprises by 2018.
MoCIT suggests that other States follow the model for taking Net to remote areas too
