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<ul class="summary-list"><li>An <keyword id="12988280" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="undersea" source="Orion">undersea</keyword> volcanic <keyword id="12132951" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="eruption" source="Orion">eruption</keyword> triggered a tsunami, which hit <keyword id="11994103" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tonga" source="Orion">Tonga</keyword> on January 15.</li><li>The eruption also severed a giant undersea <keyword id="11897865" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="internet" source="Orion">internet</keyword> <keyword id="11995240" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cable" source="Orion">cable</keyword>, knocking Tonga's internet offline.</li></ul>The volcanic eruption that caused a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-tsunami-hits-tonga-after-giant-pacific-ocean-volcano-erupted-2022-1">tsunami</a> to hit the island nation of Tonga has also severed the country's line of communication to the rest of the globe.An underwater <keyword id="12132950" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="volcano" source="Orion">volcano</keyword> named Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai erupted on January 15 with a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/scientists-estimate-explosive-force-pacific-volcano-tonga-2022-1">blast force of around 10 megatons</a>, coating Tonga's 170 islands in volcanic ash.The eruption broke a 827 km (514 mile) undersea <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-facebook-giant-undersea-cables-internet-tech-2021-9">internet cable</a>, knocking Tonga's internet offline.Tonga's government said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/ConsulateKoT/status/1483384039826464768/photo/1">statement</a> Tuesday that communications both foreign and domestic were severed due to the damage inflicted on the cable."Due to the damage to the international fibre optics cable, internet is down," the statement said. The government said telecoms operators were working on getting satellite options to restore internet to Tonga."Priority will be given to international calls and communication services such as emails," it said in its statement.Craige Sloots, marketing and sales director at the cable's operator, Southern Cross Cable Network, told <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/funds/undersea-cable-fault-could-cut-off-tonga-rest-world-weeks-2022-01-18/">Reuters</a> repairing the cable could take weeks."Typically, all things going well, it would take around two weeks," said Sloots. He added that this included the eight to nine days a specialised repair vessel needs to reach the affected area."US cable company SubCom advises it will take at least four weeks for Tonga's cable connection to be repaired," New Zealand's foreign affairs ministry said in a statement, per the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-60034179">BBC</a>. SubCom is the repair contractor company for Tonga's internet cable.Specialist vessels need to be sent out to repair underwater cables. "Its ability to repair would also be dependent, as you would expect, on any volcanic activity," Sloots told Reuters.

Tonga's volcanic eruption ruptured a giant undersea internet cable and knocked the country's internet offline

<keyword id="6354814" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="prime-minister-narendra-modi">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</keyword> on Monday inaugurated a submarine Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) connecting Chennai and Port Blair, which will enable delivery of faster and more reliable mobile and landline telecommunication services to the islands, on par with other parts of India. "This optical fibre cable project is a gift for the people of Andaman before the Independence Day. This is a symbol of our commitment towards ease of living. Be it online classes, tourism, banking, shopping, or telemedicine, thousands of families in Andaman and Nicobar will now get access," Modi said. The <keyword id="71" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Prime-Minister">Prime Minister</keyword> said that tourists will also reap huge benefits from this facility as better net connectivity is the first priority of any tourist destination. "The problem of mobile and <keyword id="735633" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="internet-connectivity">Internet connectivity</keyword> has now been resolved. Apart from this, physical connectivity through road, air, and water is also being strengthened." He pointed out that the project will lead to high-speed broadband connectivity, fast and reliable mobile and landline telecom services, which in turn will give a big boost to the local economy and delivery of e-governance, telemedicine, and tele-education services. The project is funded by the government of India through the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) under the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications. About 2,300-km long cable has been laid at a cost of about Rs 1,224 crore. The submarine cable will also connect Port Blair to Swaraj Dweep, Little Andaman, Car Nicobar, Kamorta, Great Nicobar, Long Island, and Rangat. The foundation stone of this project was laid by the Prime Minister on December 30, 2018 at Port Blair. The submarine OFC link will deliver a bandwidth of 2x200 Gigabits per second between Chennai and Port Blair, and 2x100 Gbps between Port Blair and 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. The 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 Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and also give an impetus to the economy and thus raise the standards of living of the populace. Better connectivity will also facilitate delivery of e-governance services such as telemedicine and tele-education. Small enterprises will benefit from the opportunities in e-commerce, while educational institutions will utilise 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. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/former-president-of-india-pranab-mukherjee-tests-positive-for-covid-19/articleshow/77459256.cms">Former President of India Pranab Mukherjee tests positive for COVID-19</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/list-of-weapons-that-india-can-make-at-home-and-the-ones-it-cannot/slidelist/77459796.cms">List of weapons that India can make at home — and the ones it cannot</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/markets/news/share-prices-of-bhel-lt-hal-bharat-forge-bharat-dynamic-and-others-are-rallying-in-the-stock-market-today/articleshow/77455503.cms">HAL’s share price jumps by over 8% as defence stocks rally after India announces import ban</a>

Andaman and Nicobar islands' fast-speed internet will depend on a 2,300 kilometre-long fibre optic cable

<keyword id="201453" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sterlite-technologies-ltd" source="Orion">Sterlite Technologies Ltd</keyword> on Sunday unveiled <keyword id="764355" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="5G" source="Orion">5G</keyword> Cosmos - an optical solution for towers and small cells for speedy 5G roll out. According to <keyword id="48217" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="sterlite-technologies" source="Orion">Sterlite Technologies</keyword>, telecom operators need to look at fiberisation with a futuristic lens. The company said tower fiberisation must increase from about 35 per cent to 80 per cent to provide high quality 5G services. Additionally, 5G will require upto 4X small cells, backhauled with fibre, Sterlite Technologies said. The company said India's fibre space is constrained by deployment speed and scale. 5G Cosmos is an Atmanirbhar, patented solution that can solve these challenges and connect every tower, small cell and node, the company claimed. Launching 5G Cosmos at IMC 2022, Pankaj Miglani, Director <keyword id="6699920" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="supply-chain-management" source="Orion">Supply Chain Management</keyword>, <keyword id="6354287" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="bharti-airtel" source="Orion">Bharti Airtel</keyword>, said: "We are readying our infrastructure for 5G and fiberisation is a core need. We are happy to see the use cases that 5G Cosmos can solve for telcos and enable us to deliver a great 5G experience to our customers." Ankit Agarwal Manaing Director, Sterlite Technologies said: "Indian telecom operators are ready to install fibre-dense networks for 5G. This will need an integrated and futuristic solution. We have built 5G Cosmos to enable fiberisation of macro and small cells at scale and achieve the full potential of 5G." SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/suzlon-energys-founder-chairman-tulsi-tanti-passes-away-due-to-cardiac-arrest/articleshow/94596261.cms">Suzlon Energy’s founder chairman Tulsi Tanti passes away due to cardiac arrest</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-to-add-80-airports-in-next-4-5-years-new-rules-for-aerodromes/articleshow/94596625.cms">India to add 80 airports in next 4-5 years; new rules for aerodromes</a>

Sterlite Technologies launches optical solution for 5G rollout

New Delhi, Nov 29 () Reliance Jio has emerged as the highest bidder for mobile tower and optical fibre assets of Reliance Infratel by placing bids of around Rs 3,600 crore, according to banking sources privy to the development.
 Bharti Airtel has placed a bid of around Rs 1,800 crore for the same, according to the sources.
 "Reliance Infratel's tower and fibre is likely to go to Reliance Jio as its bid of Rs 3,600 crore is the highest and the company has committed to make the payment in 60 days. Bharti Airtel has placed a bid of Rs 1,800 crore for the same," a banking source said.
 Another source privy to the development said the process of finalising the bids will take a minimum of one-two weeks as committee of creditors (CoC) will meet all the bidders and negotiate with them and then vote on it.
 Bharti Airtel has also made conditional bid for spectrum of Reliance Communications (RCom).
 The sources said the conditions placed by Bharti Airtel will make it difficult for the resolution professional (RP) to close the process by January 10 as directed by the National Company Law Tribunal.
 Reliance Jio did not bid for RCom spectrum.
 VFSI Holdings Pte Ltd and UV Asset Reconstruction Company Limited have also submitted their bids for the assets of RCom.
 RCom's secured debt is estimated to be around Rs 33,000 crore. Lenders have submitted claims of around Rs 49,000 crore in August.
 Reliance Communications, which is undergoing insolvency proceedings, has put all its assets for sale, which include spectrum holding of 122 MHz that the company before insolvency proceedings estimated to be around Rs 14,000 crore, tower business worth Rs 7,000 crore, optical fibre network worth Rs 3,000 crore and data centres worth Rs 4,000 crore.
 According to an NCLT order, RP has to complete the process by January 10, 2020.
 RCom in the past has tried to sell assets to various companies, including Reliance Jio, to clear debts but the deals did not crystallise. Reliance Jio cancelled the agreement to buy RCom assets as it did not want to bear the previous liabilities of the debt-ridden firm.
 Later, the insolvency proceeding against RCom was started on a plea filed by Swedish telecom gear maker Ericsson after the company failed to clear its dues.
 RCom Chairman Anil Ambani had tendered his resignation after the company posted a consolidated loss of Rs 30,142 crore for July-September 2019 due to provisioning for liabilities after the Supreme Court ruling on statutory dues.
 This was the second-highest loss posted by any Indian company till date.
 The CoC has, however, rejected Ambani's resignation and asked to cooperate in insolvency proceedings. PRS HRS

Reliance Jio likely to bag Reliance Infra's mobile tower, optical fibre for Rs 3,600 cr

Telecom industry experts have predicted that aligning with the global markets for <keyword id="1671941" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="5G-technology">5G technology</keyword> will not be easy for India, pointing out that backhaul will make migration from existing networks to 5G an issue because less than 20% Indian networks run via <keyword id="1716697" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="fibre-optic-cables">fibre optic cables</keyword>. Backhaul is a network that connects cells sites to central exchange. A good 5G network cannot be expected in India unless there is a reliable and strong backhaul. "One of the fundamental requirements for 5G is strong backhaul, which is simply not there and that is the most time consuming part and it is extremely expensive in today's condition in India," Jalaj Choudhri, EVP, Reliance Communications told <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/migration-to-5g-will-be-challenging-for-india-experts/articleshow/58886148.cms">ET</a>. India has around 80% of its cell sites connected through microwave backhaul, with less than 20% sites being connected through fibre. As per analysts, microwave backhaul has an issue with bandwidth since it uses traditional bands providing 300 Mbps of capacity. Fiber-based backhaul, on the other hand, can offer unlimited capacity and low latency, which 5G applications demand. "Fibre infrastructure has to be considered civic infrastructure rather than a property of the service provider. The investment has to be made through civic bodies so that service providers can actually leverage that infrastructure," said Choudhri. 5G technology can power a host of new-age services like machine-to-machine communications, Internet of Things, connected smart cities, self-driving cars, remote control surgery, and virtual reality etc. Globally, 5G technology will get commercially launched around 2019-202, and field, content and application trials will start around 2018 in India. (Image source The Register)

Migration to 5G won’t be easy for India, say experts

Communications and <keyword id="422454" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Information-Technology-Minister">Information Technology Minister</keyword> <keyword id="6354886" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Ravi-Shankar-Prasad">Ravi Shankar Prasad</keyword> said electronic equipment manufacturing would be a top priority for the Modi-led BJP government, adding that it would generate employment to the tune of 2.80 crore jobs. 
 
Due to the rising consumption of electronic goods in India, the demand is expected to increase to $400 billion by 2014 and within a few years, import of electronics will surpass the fuel bill. 
 
Talking about the increasing participation of Chinese equipment manufacturing firms in the country and the potential security threat, the minister said, "I want to assure the nation that whosoever are the electronics manufacturers, India's security will always be of paramount." 
 Chinese equipment manufacturing firms, such as <keyword id="6357456" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Huawei">Huawei</keyword> and <keyword id="6359151" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="ZTE">ZTE</keyword>, have faced some tough time in India over the past couple of years for alleged involvement in cyber espionage. 
 Prasad has already seen presentations from equipment makers such as <keyword id="10591" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Samsung">Samsung</keyword> and <keyword id="6354716" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Nokia">Nokia</keyword>. 
 As a second priority, he has laid down the alignment of <keyword id="1444022" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="national-optic-fibre-network">national optic fibre network</keyword>. 
 The minister expects 50,000 gram <keyword id="56561" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="panchayats">panchayats</keyword> to be connected by National Optic Fibre network by 2014-15, another 1 lakh by 2015-16 and by 2016-17, the remaining will be connected. According to him, every panchayat should have facilities like e-education, tele-medicine, etc. 
 
“The government programme should be delivered to the panchayats. We have taken the issue very seriously," he said. 
 Prasad also said that the agenda to improve the situation of the State-owned <keyword id="30351" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="BSNL">BSNL</keyword> and <keyword id="28256" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="MTNL">MTNL</keyword> would be addressed on a priority basis. "Both these organisations have not received the attention they needed. They need proper infrastructure support and my government is committed to give them that." He also proposed to set up a system in his chamber from where he can gauge towers of these State-owned firms. 
 
The minister, however, refused to comment on the key issues of the sector such as spectrum sharing, improving the merger &amp; acquisition scenario or even the next round of spectrum auctions. 
 The ministry, which is plagued with controversies, saw favouritism to some firms during the tenure of the former <keyword id="46149" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Telecom-minister">telecom minister</keyword> <keyword id="136745" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="A-Raja">A. Raja</keyword>. Prasad also said that during his tenure, all decisions would be taken on merit. "The days of lobbying and favouritism are over," he added. 
 
The government is also keen to start a new programme for postal banking services as India has 1,55,000 post offices across the country and subsequently, a deep penetration and wide reach. (Image: Facebook account of Communications and Information Technology Minister <keyword id="8748" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Ravi-Shankar">Ravi Shankar</keyword> Prasad.)

Electronics Manufacturing To Generate 2.8
Crore Jobs In India, Says IT Minister

The Department of Technology (DoT) is addressing the new digital environment by sharing the <keyword id="6488171" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Digital-Communications-Policy">National Digital Communications Policy</keyword> (NDCP) 2018's <a href="http://dot.gov.in/sites/default/files/DNDCP2018.pdf" data-type="tilCustomLink">draft</a> on its website. They’re also inviting responses from stakeholders and the public to make amendments. The NDCP outlines three main action paths, namely, ‘Connect <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>’, ‘Propel India’ and ‘Secure India’ in its approach to addressing issues in the digital arena. Connect India looks at broadband as a tool for socio-economic development, while Proper India has the aim of harnessing the power of new digital technologies like 5G, artificial intelligence (AI) and Big Data. And finally, Secure India will move forward to ensure the sovereignty, safety and security of digital communication in the country. 
	
	
	
	
	
	
	<div type="image" title="Highlights from the national digital communications policy (1)" msid="64016362" hostid="261"></div>















 1. Change of name Previously known as the National <keyword id="478168" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="telecom-policy">Telecom Policy</keyword> 2012, the NDCP marks a clear shift in priorities from just telecommunications to digital infrastructure, services and security. 2. ‘<keyword id="6493830" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="broadband-for-all">Broadband for All</keyword>’ The new policy aims to make sure that every citizen has access to broadband running at least 50Mbps, while all key development institutes should be receiving at least 100Mpbs of speed by 2022. The NDCP also seeks to ensure connectivity in all areas that are currently uncovered through channelising the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF). 3. ‘Fibre First Initiative’ There are two parts to this. The first aspect involves the implementation collaborative models to improve infrastructure sharing between public, local and private entities to increase access to fibre optic cables in municipalities, rural areas and national highways. The second fold involves leveraging the existing infrastructure to boost connectivity, affordability and sustainability. 4. National Digital Grid A central authority, called the <keyword id="6493828" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="national-fibre-authority">National Fibre Authority</keyword>, will be put in place to handle utility between new initiatives being launched under the NDCP. The authority would coordinate access, standardisation of costs and timelines with respect to the National Digital Grid between the centre, states and local bodies. More importantly, such a mechanism will hopefully help remove barriers to obtaining approvals. 5. Create 4 million additional jobs in the Digital arena by 2022 Although the NDCP has stated the creation of additional jobs as a primary strategic goal that needs to be achieved by 2022, no specific measures or plan outline has been presented in the draft. That being said, they do vaguely point towards ‘capacity building’ as a subset of propelling India forward. 6. Attract $100 billion foreign investment for the telecom sector by 2022 Speaking of pushing India ahead, foreign investment has been highlighted as a major aspect of the policy. The NDCP aims to catalyse investment for the digital sector through various avenues like ensuring a holistic and harmonised approach for harnessing emerging tech, as well as providing an impetus to research and development, start-ups and local manufacturing. 7. Re-train and re-skill 1 million people with ‘new-age skills’ The people who are already a part of the workforce will be further empowered with the strengthening of PSUs (Public Sector Undertakings). The existing training infrastructure that’s already available with the telecom PSUs can be used for further skill development. 8. Expand the <keyword id="970768" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="internet-of-things">Internet of Things</keyword> (IoT) network to encompass 5 billion connected devices The NDCP envisions to achieve this by simplifying the licensing and regulatory frameworks to ensure that appropriate security frameworks are put in place for using IoT, which is one of the leading concerns as of now. Another venture to promote IoT includes earmarking unlicensed spectrum space for IoT services, which will future-proof the use of IoT devices looking ahead. 9. Review of licence fees and spectrum usage charges The DoT recognized that the spectrum is a ‘key natural resource for public benefit’. The policy draft states that it will look into the optimal pricing of the spectrum so that the process is sustainable while also providing affordable access. There’s also a clause that states that spectrum allocation requires the development of a fair, flexible, simple and transparent method system. 10. The encouragement of Next Generation Access Technologies The policy outlines a basic plan to boost the participation of licensed service providers in using next generation access technologies in order to move towards cost optimisation, service agility and new revenue streams. 11. Creating Broadband Readiness Index for States/UTs A standard measurement mechanism will help attract investments and address challenges from the rest of the world. This initiative will be supported through fiscal stimuli like depreciation and tax incentives. 12. Secure India The aim of the policy is to establish a strong, flexible and robust data protection regime so that each citizen and enterprise can operate with autonomy and be given the freedom of choice. More importantly, the NDCP wants to put forth a Telecom Testing and Security Certification (TTSC) to enforce security standards that are at par will global standards with consideration for local requirements.

12 key highlights from India’s new National Digital Communications Policy

President Abdul Kalam, first proposed the idea of ‘Smart habitation as an integration of villages and cities working in harmony to reduce the rural and urban divide to a thin line’. With the <keyword id="4127478" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="DigiGaon">DigiGaon</keyword> initiative, an extension of <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>’s flagship ‘<keyword id="1929810" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Digital-India">Digital India</keyword> Program’, the rest of India is firmly on the path to becoming ‘rural cities’—the perfect villages complementing our ‘Smart Cities’. With nearly 70% of India’s population still living in rural areas, participation of ‘Bharat’ in India’s growth story is absolutely necessary for the country to be able to unlock this trillion-dollar digital opportunity. Crafting a digital society that assimilates and penetrates all social spheres is quintessential for India’s inclusive development. India ranks second only to China, when it comes to <keyword id="6357247" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Internet">internet</keyword> penetration. It has a population of 1.012 billion active mobile users and nearly 500 million internet users. Yet, the <keyword id="2412681" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="rural-internet">rural internet</keyword> penetration stood at a meagre 20.26% in December 2017. Empowering the rural population will play a pivotal role in ensuring creation of a crucial ‘hub and spoke’ model for the growth trajectory that India is currently aiming for. Along with the Bharat Net Programme which aims to connect 250,000 panchayats across 600,000 villages with optical fibre network, it is crucial that we deliver on the opportunity to augment our villages with comprehensive strategic planning and execution. The big idea: Making rural India entrepreneurship-ready As rural India becomes a part of the formal digital economy, availability of quality services such as telemedicine, e-education, e-health, e-commerce and related skills will provide momentum to the chain of activities towards creating immense entrepreneurial opportunities for the village youth. While we speak about villages playing a major role in India’s development agenda, unless India’s rural youth are provided with an equal opportunity to flourish, and a platform to become innovators and entrepreneurs, the country cannot achieve its goal of inclusive, high paced socio-economic growth. And this is where DigiGaon comes in. It provides the fundamentals of new-age entrepreneurship – digital capacity building, quality and affordable access to technology. Urban exclusion: Connect rural market The idea of ‘Digital India’ is a potential game changer for villages, which are expected to be the main growth centres with more rural produce and crafts being brought to the mainstream. For India’s rural youth to become disruptive change makers, we have to provide them with priority market access to village produce. According, to the UN World Urbanization Prospects 2018 report, only 34% of India lives in urban areas. Thus, with a majority of the population still in rural regions, <keyword id="866582" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-connectivity">digital connectivity</keyword> can be transformational for their aspirations and dreams. It will definitely reduce the push factors leading to greater urban migration thereby helping a substantial population from being excluded from basic amenities, while bringing to life a plethora of new opportunities and markets in the villages. Tech push: Revive indigenous technologies India with its diversified culture and practices is a repository of innumerable home-grown sustainable technologies in every field, be it natural dyes or innovations in food. As the UN points out, traditional knowledge, cultures and practices contribute to sustainable and equitable development and proper management of the environment. It is therefore important that the rural areas maintain their characteristic. As the new-age technologies are gearing up to invade the space, strengthening the basis of knowledge will help the villages to go global with uniqueness. Technologies like cloud and mobility, Big Data Analytics, Internet of Things (IoT) and <keyword id="107950" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="20" keywordseo="artificial-intelligence">Artificial Intelligence</keyword> (AI) will only add value to a truly digital rural economy. India’s digital transformation is expected to add an estimated $154 billion to India’s GDP by 2021 – leading to a significant 1% increase in the country’s annual GDP growth rate. With DigiGaon, India stands at the cusp of an immense opportunity to become digitally inclusive, and leverage the true potential of disruptive technologies. This would not only impact globalisation, but also create a digital and global footprint that can become a blueprint of success for all developing countries. The article is written by a Business Insider India contributor - Rana Kapoor, managing director (MD) and the chief executive officer (CEO) of YES Bank.

DigiGaon: From urbanisation to millennium villages

KOLKATA: Telecom engineers and fibre specialists at <keyword id="147780" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Vedanta-group">Vedanta Group</keyword> company Sterlite Technologies are finalising the ‘proof of concept’ of a close variant of the ‘<keyword id="6355629" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Google">Google</keyword> Fibre’ project to transform the urban home broadband experience in India’s top 20 cities and, in turn, boost high-speed internet penetration. 
 
But unlike the US search giant, which will directly take its ultrafast fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) drive across US cities, Sterlite will deliver super-fast fibre broadband connectivity at 20 to 50 Mbps speeds to urban homes through partner mobile operators. 
 “We will shortly showcase our FTTH broadband technology blueprint to <keyword id="6354287" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bharti-Airtel">Bharti Airtel</keyword> and <keyword id="6359475" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Tata-Teleservices">Tata Teleservices</keyword> to line up the first wave of partnerships,” Sterlite Technologies CEO Anand Agarwal told ET. The company is initially looking to hook up a million homes by 2016 across Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Chennai. 
 “Sterlite’s faster home <keyword id="2528457" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="broadband-model">broadband model</keyword> has parallels with the Google Fibre project as the network and services to end consumers would be similar, but company roles will be different as we plan to work with telcos as catalyst-cumsystem integrators to create a pan-India urban broadband network, unlike Google, which will directly serve US consumers as an internet service provider,” said Agarwal. 
 
Its plan to partner with telcos comes at a time when mobile operators are increasingly focusing on data revenues to fuel future growth. 
 “A faster fibre broadband option along the lines of a ‘Google Fibre’ can be handy for incumbents Bharti <keyword id="15491" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Airtel">Airtel</keyword>, Vodafone India or <keyword id="6354924" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Idea-Cellular">Idea Cellular</keyword>, which are known to be cherry picking lucrative data customers in urban zones in anticipation of intense competition from Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio Infocomm, which is reckoned to launch its 4G voice and data services by March next year,” a Mumbaibased sector analyst said, requesting anonymity. 
 At present, Google’s ultra-fast fibre internet service is reportedly available in <keyword id="131662" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Kansas-City">Kansas City</keyword> and Provo, Utah, and will be expanded soon to Austin, Texas. According to international news reports, Google plans to take its faster home broadband service to some 34 US cities shortly. 
 
Elaborating on Sterlite’s fibre broadband model, Agarwal said the company would deliver last mile broadband connectivity to an urban home by plugging its FTTH network to the nearest point of interconnect (PoI) of a partner mobile operator, which could be an exchange or base station. 
 
Agarwal, however, agreed that Sterlite’s FTTH network expansion would hinge on telco demand for using its fibre-to-home technology. “We will ink revenue-sharing pacts with telco partners only after jointly assessing whether a particular urban neighbourhood is ready for fibre,” he said. 
 
Under its build-to-demand approach, the company will extend last mile fibre optic internet connectivity to individual homes and residential high rises only after “it is assured of adequate demand for faster broadband services at the consumer end”. 
 
Incidentally, Sterlite Technologies is a key optic fibre cable supplier for the Rs 21,000-crore national optic fibre network (NOFN) project that will be take high-speed internet to 2.5 lakh village blocks across the country. It has also secured contracts to supply such cables for a mega telecom network that BSNL is building for the armed forces.

You Searched For "fibre optics" and got 9 results

Tonga's volcanic eruption ruptured a giant undersea internet cable and knocked the country's internet offline

Isobel Asher Hamilton

Andaman and Nicobar islands' fast-speed internet will depend on a 2,300 kilometre-long fibre optic cable

IANS

Sterlite Technologies launches optical solution for 5G rollout

IANS

Reliance Jio likely to bag Reliance Infra's mobile tower, optical fibre for Rs 3,600 cr

PTI

Migration to 5G won’t be easy for India, say experts

BI India Bureau

Electronics Manufacturing To Generate 2.8 Crore Jobs In India, Says IT Minister

BI India Bureau

12 key highlights from India’s new National Digital Communications Policy

Prabhjote Gill

DigiGaon: From urbanisation to millennium villages

BI India Bureau

Google Fibre clone: How Sterlite Plans To Provide High Speed Internet In 20 Cities

Economic Times

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