Friday, February 26, 2010

Telecom boost

The Centre has sanctioned Rs 250 crore for laying down an 800km optical fibre cable line in Assam to provide high-speed connectivity in the telecom sector.

This was announced by Union minister of state for communications and technology Sachin Pilot in Guwahati on 2nd February after holding a review meeting on the activities of information technology departments, rural telephony and quality of services in the Northeast.

The optical fibre cable network will be laid down by BSNL. “The Centre will provide all help to boost connectivity in Assam and the Northeast and this is the first step in that direction,” Pilot said, adding that efforts were on to make the region an investment hub for telecom sector.

Optical fibre cables have found wide application in long distance communication networks and have several advantages over copper-based cables like that of larger bandwidth.

Pilot said the Centre’s plan was not limited to providing best telecom facilities to metros like Delhi and Mumbai. It included providing services to rural India and regions like the Northeast where the teledensity is still very low as compared to big towns and cities.

In the coming year the BSNL will set up 843 mobile towers in the Northeast to deliver high quality telephone and broadband services to its remotest parts, he said. 40,000 new broadband connections will be provided. The planned fund outlay for this expansion is around Rs 384 crores. The number of telephone subscibers is expected to grow from 28.15 lakhs in December'09 to 32 lakhs by end of next financial year.

Pilot launched WiMax, BSNL’s high-speed wireless data services, at Chaygaon in Kamrup district to provide high-speed connectivity in the rural areas. High-speed Internet services will be available in an area of 15km with the launch of WiMax.

He said special emphasis had been laid on providing communication facilities in the border areas and those affected by insurgency.

Pilot also urged all BSNL staff and employees to remember their social obligation and maintain high quality of service.

On the same day Pilot visited Itanagar and announced a bonanza to spruce up telecommunication along the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh to facilitate better co-ordination among the security forces manning the frontier.

“I am assuring 50 digital satellite phone terminals (DSPT) to the Indo-Tibetan Border Patrol (ITBP) jawans manning the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh. Our army and intelligence are faced with lack of proper telecommunication facilities in border areas. Altogether 245 mobile towers will be set up along the Indo-China border soon,” Pilot told in Itanagar.

He said the focus of the communication and IT ministry was to connect all urban and rural centres of the Northeast, especially in Arunachal Pradesh, with modern telecommunication within two to three years.

Pilot said his ministry would ensure that the fruits of telecommunication reach every nook and corner of the region, especially the border states.

A software technology park and an IT hub, which is one among the 51 hubs slated to come up in the country, is in the offing in the state and the Arunachal Pradesh government has promised to allot land for it, he added.

While tele-density is desired in urban areas, the ministry has also chalked out a road map to reach out to the rural areas, which are yet to be well connected through telephone and Internet facilities, within a span of two to three years.

Arunachal Pradesh has 1.72 lakh mobile subscribers and another lakh will be added to the number in 2011. Under a Union government scheme, eight of the total 299 post offices will be digitised in the state, he added.

Pilot said 140 jobs had been created for the Northeast circle of post office, and villages with a minimum population of 50 will be connected with broadband facilities soon.

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