Foreign firms interested in broadband biz through cable:Prasad

Foreign companies are evincing interest in providing technology for broadband through Cable TV network in the country, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said today.
"There is a cable TV firm operating in Aligarh, Vrindavan, Mathura who are delivering broadband through cable TV network with their foreign partner. Lot of foreign players are now attracted towards this," Prasad said at an event organised by Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).
The Minister termed the Digital India Programme launched by the NDA government as a game changer and said broadband is going to play a key role in it.
"I accept that India's broadband penetration is low but we are working on NOFN project to resolve this in a time-bound manner. Around 10 lakh (rpt 10 lakh) kilometeres fibre has been laid in the country during the last 25 years, and under NOFN we have plans to lay 7 lakh kilometers fibre in about 3 years plus time," Prasad said.

The Minister had earlier told Parliament that National Optical Fibre Project (NOFN) which aims to connect 2.5 lakh village panchayats with 100 megabit per second download speed, will be completed by December 2016.
Prasad said that once companies start developing local content in local language, the government will be able to assist in delivering the services electronically to citizen.
The Minister invited suggestions from the industry in developing a model through which government services can reach out to people in rural areas of the country.