At launch, PM hails optical fibre project
nNEWDELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched the first undersea optical fibre project for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which will provide high-speed broadband connections in the Union Territory at par with services available in the mainland, and likely open up new opportunities for India in Southeast Asia . “From Chennai to Port Blair, Port Blair to Little Andaman and Port Blair to Swaraj Dweep, this service has started in large parts of Andaman Nicobar from today,” Modi said after inaugurating the project through video conferencing.
On December 30, 2018, the PM had laid the foundation for the 2,312-kilometre-long submarine optical fibre cable project connecting Chennai and Port Blair.the project has been implemented at a cost of ~1,224 crore.
Besides Port Blair, it will connect other islands including Swaraj Dweep (Havelock), Long Island, Rangat, Little Andaman, Kamorta, Car Nicobar and Greater Nicobar. A bulk of the fibre used in the project has been sourced from NEC Corporation of Japan, said a Department of Telecommunications (DOT) official. “The optical fibre connectivity project to connect Andaman and
Nicobar with the rest of the country and the world is a symbol of our commitment towards ease of living,” Modi said. According to official data, an internet speed of 400 gigabyte (Gb) per second will be provided in Port Blair and 200 Gb per second in other islands.
Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the DOT aims to provide connectivity in remote and difficult areas. A tender for 354 uncovered villages in the strategic, remote and border areas of has been finalised and is under implementation in 144 villages of the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh and remaining villages in the States of Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and other priority areas of Gujarat. “These villages have been strategically chosen to cover border area connectivity on mobile,” he said.