PM inaugurates submarine OFC connectivity to Andaman & Nicobar Islands

New Delhi, Aug 10 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi 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 Prime Minister 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 Internet connectivity 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.