PM Modi, on Monday, inaugurated a new project, which promises to connect the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to Chennai through a 2300 KM submarine fiber network.
Estimated to cost Rs.1224 crore, the installation of fiber would pave the success for established 5G connectivity. This move could prove to be a game-changer for India by proving to be an alternative to China, currently a primary optical fiber provider in the ASEAN countries.
This project falls under DoT’s initiative USOF introducing the first-ever undersea optical fiber cable network to be owned by the Indian government.
Shyamal Ghosh, former secretary, DoT, said, “In Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the network will provide a stable connection as the previously used satellite was more dependent on the availability of bandwidth, especially because the islands emerge as an important strategic point in the Indian Ocean region (IOR),”
R K Bhatnagar, an ex-technology adviser to DoT, emphasized how the submarine network can extend to countries like Singapore and Thailand in the second phase of operations. The extension would help countries like Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos to connect their OFC digital highways with north-eastern states via protected ring architecture.
Both the officials believe that by extending the cable network, India would experience an increase in trade opportunities, rope in new projects for the domestic manufacturing industry, and generate higher revenue profits.
The project launch aims to offer high-speed internet connectivity and strengthens the island’s capabilities in disaster mitigation and emergency relief.
DoT officials also said that through this project, nearly 1409 connections in remote areas would be set-up.
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