Page 2 - Broadband Services

Cabinet approves Rs 1.39 trn for connecting 640,000 villages with broadband

The Union Cabinet has approved a last-mile broadband connectivity plan for 6.4 lakh villages across the country under the BharatNet project with an outlay of Rs 1.39 lakh crore, according to sources. Around 1.94 lakh villages have been connected under the BharatNet project at present, and the balance is likely to be connected in two and a half years, they added. "The Cabinet in its meeting, held on Friday evening, has approved Rs 1,39,579 crore for providing last mile optical fibre-based connectivity to homes in all villages of the country," one of the sources said. The last-mile connectivity will be provided by Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), an arm of state-owned BSNL, in partnership with village level entrepreneur (VLE). "The model to take fibre-to-the-home, with the help of a local entrepreneur, was finalised after the successful completion of a pilot project. The pilot project was initially carried out to connect villages in four districts and then expanded to 60,000

BT Group to cut up to 55,000 jobs by 2030 as fibre and AI tech arrive

The company has been working through a transformation plan to build a national fibre network under boss Philip Jansen, as well as rolling out high-speed 5G mobile services

Tech and telecom equipment companies seek 6 GHz band delicensing

Broadband India Forum has pushed for the key mid band to be kept open for Wi-Fi services

Signal strength: Reliance Jio wages price war in fixed-line broadband

The growth of the home broadband market in India has been constrained by the fact that only 10 per cent of the households are connected by fibre

OneWeb satellites soon to offer space-based internet services globally

Bharti Enterprise-backed OneWeb is one step away from completing its constellation of over 600 low earth orbit satellites, paving the way to offer broadband internet services from space to every corner of the world. OneWeb, a company backed by the British government, Bharti Enterprises, Eutelsat, SoftBank, Hughes Networks and Hanwha, has launched internet from space services in countries located above 50 degrees north latitude -- Alaska, Canada, Greenland, UK and Northern Europe. The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3) is set to launch 36 OneWeb satellites from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on March 26, a move which will add to the United Kingdom-based company's existing constellation of 582 satellites. We are one launch away from achieving global coverage. This last launch with ISRO/NSIL will mark over 600 satellites in space, which is the number needed to go commercially live, a spokesperson of OneWeb told PTI. NewsSpace India

BIF advocates new framework to improve submarine cables; upgrade stations

Broadband India Forum (BIF) on Tuesday underlined the need to promote competition, innovation, and investment in the domain of submarine cable landing stations, as the industry body advocated for non-discriminatory and open access to all potential seekers of international connectivity. The think tank has emphasised the need for creation of robust submarine cable systems connected to India as well as geo-diversity and augmentation of submarine cable landing infrastructure, according to a statement by BIF. "Through its consultation paper on 'Licensing Framework and Regulatory Mechanism for Submarine Cable Landing in India' to the TRAI, BIF...has underscored the need to promote competition, innovation, and investment in the domain of submarine cable landing stations and provide equal, fair, non-discriminatory and open access to all potential seekers of international connectivity," it said. This will help satiate the demand for data, consumption of which is rising by the day. The new .

Nokia extends manufacturing of fibre broadband equipment to India

Telecom equipment maker Nokia on Thursday said it will extend manufacturing of PON optical line terminals (OLTs) to its factory in Sriperimbudur near Chennai to cater to rising demand from local customers in India and global markets. PON stands for Passive Optical Network. In a statement announcing the latest move, Nokia said shifts in consumer behaviour, from home working to data-rich entertainment services, are driving demand for broadband. "This demand is matched by strong institutional support with significant funding from governments and private equity funds around the world that are driving investments in broadband and fibre connectivity," according to the company. Nokia is currently a participant in the government's production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme and is extending its production capacity into Chennai in response to growing demand. Demand for fibre is also shifting to new regions with the Asia-Pacific region witnessing strong demand in markets like Japan, India and

5G has limitation, won't replace fixed-line broadband: Excitel CEO Raina

Wireless internet technology doesn't support unlimited data usage, says leader of fixed line broad company

Top 10 in broadband? India needs to go from 1.95% to 40% adoption

Mukesh Ambani wants to achieve the target by deploying 5G fixed wireless access to homes

Ambani announces 5G launch by Diwali, Rs 2 trn investment for digital play

Jio is working with Google to develop an affordable 5G-enabled phone and also tied up with Qualcomm to build solutions and infrastructure for 5G services in India and abroad

India improves global ranking for mobile, fixed broadband speeds

India gained three spots in the global ranking on median mobile download speed, reaching 115th position with recording 14.28 Mbps in May which is better than 14.19 Mbps speed in April, said a report

Musk's SpaceX signs 1st deal to provide Starlink internet service on planes

According to Space.com, the service will be available later this year to customers of JSX, a charter airline company that plans to equip 100 planes with Starlink-provided inflight Wi-Fi

Can BBNL-BSNL merger be a game-changer for rural broadband connectivity?

The jury is out on whether the merger of two state-owned telecom companies can help step up rural broadband connectivity

BBNL's cancelled tender for connecting villages shows complexity in bidding

To offer the higher service requirement, operators would need to ensure uninterrupted power, safety of cables and so on

Reliance Jio ties up with SES for satellite-based broadband service

The two companies will form a joint venture with Jio Platforms Ltd and SES owning 51 per cent and 49 per cent stake, respectively.

Reliance Jio topples BSNL as largest fixed line broadband provider

In about two years of commercial roll out of its fixed-line broadband services, Reliance Jio has toppled 20 -year-old state-run telecom company BSNL as top service provider in the segment

Hughes, Airtel form JV to provide satellite broadband services in India

Combined India VSAT operations of both companies to offer wide range of satellite and hybrid network solutions to business and government customers

Airtel inks deal with Juniper Networks to expand broadband network coverage

The firm has plans of covering 30 million households in over 2,000 cities in the next three years

Starlink to focus on 10 rural constituencies for broadband connectivity

Satellite company Starlink, led by world's one of the richest entrepreneurs Elon Musk, will focus on 10 rural Lok Sabha constituencies to provide internet services, according to a top company official. The company is also looking to hold virtual conversations with Members of Parliament, ministers and top government officials over the importance of broadband connectivity in changing lives in rural areas. The SpaceX's satellite broadband arm aims to start broadband service in India from December 2022, with 2 lakh active terminals subject to permission from the government. Starlink Country Director for India Sanjay Bhargava on Sunday said, "In October I am also keen to have 30-minute virtual conversations with MPs, ministers, secretaries to GOI (government of India), or principal secretaries to states to see if they think 100 per cent broadband would help improve lives. We will probably focus on ten rural Lok Sabha constituencies for 80 per cent of the Starlink terminals shipped to ...

Bharti-backed OneWeb's AT&T satellite deal challenges Musk in his backyard

OneWeb is racing against Elon Musk's rival Starlink system to offer internet to consumers and businesses in regions of the world where terrestrial fixed and wireless connections aren't profitable