Free Internet in Kerala

Why in NEWS ?

• Kerala aims to start providing free, high-speed Internet to schools, public offices, and poor households in the state by December 2020, making digital connectivity a basic right.

About

• The first of its kind among states but similar to the government of India's BharatNet project, the project will provide free Internet for more than 20 lakh poor families and over 30,000 government institutions, including offices, schools, IT parks, airports and ports.
• The project, when launched, will be another milestone for the state that has achieved several human development indicators (HDI) that match those of first- world countries, especially in connection with health.
• A consortium led by public-sector company Bharat Electronics Ltd was awarded the contract by Kerala Fibre Optic Network Project or KFON, a special purpose vehicle tasked to implement the project using fiber-optic technology. It strives to bring Internet connectivity at speeds of 10Mbps to 1Gbps.

Kerala Fibre Optic Network Project or K-FON Project

• Under the K-FON project the Kerala Government aims to link all the houses and offices in the state with optical fibre network. In order to achieve this, the State Government has allocated Rs 1548 crores. The project will provide net connectivity to all families even to those that do not fall under Below Poverty Line at affordable rates.
• K-FON project was launched with an aim to provide quality internet which will be free of cost for the poor and at an affordable price for the others in Kerala state.
• Kerala is the first state that has declared the internet as a fundamental right to its citizens.
• The project has been implemented by Kerala State IT Infrastructure Limited and Kerala State Electricity Board both owned by the State Government. Optical fibre cables were laid across the state using KSEB posts.
• The consortium for the project comprises of public sector companies, Railtel and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and private companies such as LS Cables and SRIT.
• KSEB holds 50% of shares in the ₹ ₹1,548 crore KFON project, with the rest held by Kerala State IT Infrastructure Ltd. Like in most states, the public sector power utility has a monopoly over electricity distribution and transmission in Kerala. The optic- fiber network is laid by using its electricity poles, so as to avoid the additional cost of laying underground cables.
• KFON will collaborate with internet service providers for the service. Not only it will be a booster for e-governance, but also a money-spinner by leasing out the high- speed network for a fee to other service providers like cable operators, telecom operators, Internet service providers and content service providers.
• Once the project recoups its initial investment, the government shall aim to move the cables underground so as to withstand climate extremities.

Benefits

• Around 30,000 government offices are to benefit from the project.
• It also includes educational institutions.
• Alongside, the project is to give a push to E-Health programmes of the state.
• The project will also benefit airports, seaports, IT parks, e-commerce platforms
• The project is to link mobile towers for better internet services.

Significance

• The project is expected to help the country’s IT industry and open major opportunities in the fields of artificial intelligence, blockchain, and startups.
• It is also expected to help in better management of the transport sector.
• It would act as a “catalyst for the knowledge-based economy envisioned by the state” as the use of the internet in sectors such as banking and education will greatly increase.
• K-FON will provide major support to the government’s efforts to develop Kerala as the world’s leading educational, industrial, and tourism destination.

BharatNet Project

• BharatNet Project is the world’s largest rural broadband connectivity programme using Optical fiber.
• It is implemented by Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL) – a special purpose vehicle under the Telecom Ministry and is the Government of India’s ambitious rural internet connectivity programme.
• It is a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) set up by the Government of India under the Companies Act, 1956 with an authorized capital of Rs 1000 crore.
• Initially, it was under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, which was bifurcated into the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in July 2016.
• Currently, it is being implemented by the Department of Telecommunication under the Ministry of Communications.
• National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) was launched in October 2011 and was renamed as Bharat Net Project in 2015.