USOF successor to focus on indigenising tech, hiring global bandwidth

Govt plans to include fund in upcoming telecom Bill despite telcos' opposition, officials said

The Telecommunication Development Fund, the proposed new avatar of the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), will shift focus to indigenising telecom technology, hiring international bandwidth, and laying submarine cable lines, among other things, officials said.

The fund would remain the central government’s primary source of capital for building telecom infrastructure. As a result, it could find a place in the telecom Bill despite opposition from telecom companies, officials at the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said.

The USOF funds projects that boost mobile, broadband connectivity in rural and remote areas.

Thus far, the USOF focused on extending connectivity to uncovered villages,