High-speed internet to Andaman & Nicobar to be launched on Aug 10

In a major connectivity boost to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate a new submarine Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) connecting Chennai and Port Blair.

The high-capacity connection will be presented to the nation on Monday through a video conference that will be addressed by the Prime Minister.

The submarine cable will also connect Port Blair to Swaraj Dweep (Havelock Island), Little Andaman, Car Nicobar, Kamorta, Great Nicobar, Long Island, and Rangat, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office on Friday (August 7).

This connectivity will enable delivery of faster and more reliable mobile and landline telecom services to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, at par with other parts of India. The foundation stone for this project was laid by Modi on December 30, 2018 at Port Blair.

Once inaugurated, the submarine OFC link will deliver bandwidth of 2 x 200 Gigabits per second (Gbps) between Chennai and Port Blair, and 2 x 100 Gbps between Port Blair and the other islands. Provision of reliable, robust, and high-speed telecom and Broadband facilities in these Islands will be a landmark achievement from the viewpoint of consumers, as well as for strategic and governance reasons. 4G mobile services, which were constrained due to limited backhaul bandwidth provided via satellite will also see a major improvement.

Enhanced telecom and Broadband connectivity will boost tourism and employment generation in the Islands, give an impetus to the economy and raise standards of living. Better connectivity will also facilitate delivery of e-Governance services such as telemedicine and tele-education.

Small enterprises will benefit from opportunities in e-commerce, while educational institutions will utilize the enhanced availability of bandwidth for e-learning and knowledge sharing. Business Process Outsourcing services and other medium and large enterprises will also reap the benefits of better connectivity.

The project is funded by the Government of India through the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) under the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) executed this project while Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL) are the Technical Consultants. About 2300 Kms of Submarine OFC cable has been laid at a cost of about Rs 1224 Crore, and the project has been completed in time. USOF is being used to connect far-flung areas where reliable connectivity is not available due to lack of a lucrative market for commercial telecom services.