Despite having attracting tariffs to provide television channels coupled with internet access, the government-owned Andhra Pradesh State FiberNet Limited (APSFL) is failing to make its presence felt in the urban areas of East Godavari district.
Residents of the rural pockets and tribal hamlets, however, are wholeheartedly welcoming the technology into their households.
Though the monthly tariffs are ranging from ₹199 to ₹2,499, the much talked about are the ones that charge ₹399 and ₹599 a month that promise access to 250 television channels and an internet speed of 15 Mbps. The APSFL’s campaign coupled with frequent mention of the tariffs by elected representatives, including Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, in all the public meetings has made people look into the offer. Many of them even evinced their interest in switching over to the FiberNet, so that they need not pay separate bills for cable television and internet, and submitted their applications long back.
‘New third party layer’
The APSFL, however, is unable to deliver the goods owing to its dependency on the Multi System Operators (MSOs) and the Local Cable Operators (LCOs) to reach out to the consumers.
“The existing MSOs and LCOs in East Godavari district are not very much interested in FiberNet, as their networks are well established. Though our tariffs are economical, we are unable to reach the users due to the non-cooperation from the third parties,” a senior official from the APSFL’s head office has told The Hindu on condition of anonymity. The firm, however, is looking out for alternatives and toying with the idea of establishing a new third party layer.
Collector Kartikeya Misra says efforts are on to remove the bottlenecks, so that more and more people can reap in the benefits of the economic packages of the APSFL.
