T-Fiber gets fresh boost, Centre allots Rs 1,243 crore

Hyderabad: Telangana Fiber Grid programme is all set to a get a fresh boost with the Central government signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Telangana State government and allotting Rs 1,243 crore under Phase-II of BharatNet programme which is a hi-speed rural broadband network. Principal Secretary for IT and Industries Jayesh Ranjan and Telangana Fiber Grid Corporation managing director Sujai Karampuri signed the MoU on behalf of Telangana State.

The MoUs were signed during the national conference on ‘BharatNet’ for launch of Phase-II in New Delhi on 13th November,2017 in the presence of Union Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister of State for Communication Manoj Sinha, and other top dignitaries.

Under the Phase-II, the government will establish fiber optic cables connecting mandals to gram panchayats covering 6,657 gram panchayats across Telangana State. A part of total Rs 1,243 crore will be released as advance to enable faster implementation.

Speaking on the occasion, Ravi Shankar Prasad described the launch of Phase II as a turning point to bring digital revolution that would bridge the digital divide between rural and urban India. Manoj Sinha cited the example of Telangana State which used the same trenches of Mission Bhagiratha to lay fiber optic duct and cable, and urged other States to emulate Telangana State in using multiple utilities to bring synergy in costing, implementation and maintenance.

BharatNet is a project initiated by the Union government and funded by the Universal Service Obligation Fund with the aim of providing broadband connectivity to over 2.5 lakh gram panchayats in the country. Under Phase-I, about 2.4 lakh km of optical fiber cable has already been laid connecting 1.4 lakh gram panchayats across the country.