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The department of telecommunications (DoT) is planning to rope in professional experts, including those from the private sector, for speedy implementation of the National Optic Fibre Network (NOFN).
Also, a new technology would be brought to track all parameters of various projects like NOFN, and to plug gaps at various levels of execution, a senior DoT official told Business Standard.
Once implemented, NOFN will provide a bandwidth of 100 Mbps (megabit per second) to facilitate broadband services.
These are part of a restructuring exercise for Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), the executing agency for NOFN, the biggest and one of the most ambitious projects of the government. USOF is built with contributions from private telecom operators.
The NOFN project, initially estimated to cost Rs 20,000 crore, is way behind schedule and has seen a cost overrun of 75 per cent because of delays in the past few years. There also is a plan to invite private players for laying down optic fibres in the second phase of NOFN, for faster execution of the project.
When USOF was started in 2003-04, its only mandate was promoting telephony in rural and remote areas. The scope had broadened since and the number of projects had increased, hence the need to bring in experts from outside, the official added.
A few weeks ago, DoT had formed an eight-member expert committee on NOFN to suggest changes in design and architecture of the project, as well as recommend other measures for implementation, such as a business model for effective utilisation of bandwidth created under NOFN.
The NOFN project to connect all 250,000 gram panchayats across India by December 2016 is important for the government Digital India programme. Approved by the Cabinet in October 2011, the project was expected to be completed within two years. But the deadline had to be revised several times due to coordination issues among the agencies and other problems, such as right of way.
The first phase, to connect 50,000 gram panchayats in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, the Northeast and Maharashtra, is expected to be over by the end this year.
The second phase involves connectivity in North India — Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand among other states — for about 100,000 gram panchayats.
Bharat Broadband Network Ltd (BBNL), a special-purpose vehicle set up by the government in 2012, is responsible for management and operations of NOFN under the administrative control of the information technology & communications ministry. BBNL is getting the project executed through three PSUs — BSNL, RailTel and PGCIL — in a ratio of 70:15:15. NOFN was recently launched in Kerala’s Idukki district. The state is expected be the first state to be fully connected with NOFN by the end of March this year.
WHAT’S IN STORE
Also, a new technology would be brought to track all parameters of various projects like NOFN, and to plug gaps at various levels of execution, a senior DoT official told Business Standard.
Once implemented, NOFN will provide a bandwidth of 100 Mbps (megabit per second) to facilitate broadband services.
These are part of a restructuring exercise for Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), the executing agency for NOFN, the biggest and one of the most ambitious projects of the government. USOF is built with contributions from private telecom operators.
The NOFN project, initially estimated to cost Rs 20,000 crore, is way behind schedule and has seen a cost overrun of 75 per cent because of delays in the past few years. There also is a plan to invite private players for laying down optic fibres in the second phase of NOFN, for faster execution of the project.
When USOF was started in 2003-04, its only mandate was promoting telephony in rural and remote areas. The scope had broadened since and the number of projects had increased, hence the need to bring in experts from outside, the official added.
A few weeks ago, DoT had formed an eight-member expert committee on NOFN to suggest changes in design and architecture of the project, as well as recommend other measures for implementation, such as a business model for effective utilisation of bandwidth created under NOFN.
The NOFN project to connect all 250,000 gram panchayats across India by December 2016 is important for the government Digital India programme. Approved by the Cabinet in October 2011, the project was expected to be completed within two years. But the deadline had to be revised several times due to coordination issues among the agencies and other problems, such as right of way.
The first phase, to connect 50,000 gram panchayats in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, the Northeast and Maharashtra, is expected to be over by the end this year.
The second phase involves connectivity in North India — Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand among other states — for about 100,000 gram panchayats.
Bharat Broadband Network Ltd (BBNL), a special-purpose vehicle set up by the government in 2012, is responsible for management and operations of NOFN under the administrative control of the information technology & communications ministry. BBNL is getting the project executed through three PSUs — BSNL, RailTel and PGCIL — in a ratio of 70:15:15. NOFN was recently launched in Kerala’s Idukki district. The state is expected be the first state to be fully connected with NOFN by the end of March this year.
WHAT’S IN STORE
- Once implemented, NOFN will provide a bandwidth of 100 Mbps to facilitate broadband services
- The first phase looks at connecting 50,000 gram panchayats in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, the Northeast & Maharashtra
- It is expected to be over by the end this year
- The second phase involves connectivity in North India — UP, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand among other states — for about 100,000 gram panchayats
- Kerala is expected be the first state to be fully connected with NOFN by the end of March
