Submarine optical fibre cable connectivity between mainland (Chennai) and Andaman & Nicobar Islands
The Union Cabinet has given its approval for
provision of a direct communication link through a dedicated submarine Optical
Fibre Cable (OFC) between Mainland (Chennai) and Port Blair & five other
islands viz. Little Andaman, Car Nicobar, Havelock, Kamorta and Great Nicobar.
Key facts:
- The estimated cost of the project
is Rs. 1102.38 crore including operational expenses for 5 years. The
project is likely to be completed by December 2018.
- The approval would equip Andaman
& Nicobar Islands (ANI) with appropriate bandwidth and telecom connectivity
for implementation of e-Governance initiatives; establishment of
enterprises & e-commerce facilities.
- It will also enable the provision
of adequate support to educational institutes for knowledge sharing,
availability of job opportunities and fulfil the vision of Digital India.
Need for submarine OFC:
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are of
immense strategic significance for India. The geographical configuration and
the location of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands chain in the Bay of Bengal
safeguard India’s eastern seaboard.
- Provision of secure, reliable,
robust, and affordable telecom facilities in these islands is of
importance from a strategic point of view to the country and also an
important requirement for the socio-economic development of the islands.
- Currently the only medium of
providing telecom connectivity between Mainland and Andaman & Nicobar
Islands is though satellites, but the bandwidth available is limited to 1
Gbps. Satellite bandwidth is very costly and its availability is limited
due to which future bandwidth requirement cannot be met solely through it.
- Then, there is an issue of
redundancy, that is, no alternate media is available in case of any
emergency. Lack of bandwidth and telecom connectivity is also hampering
socio-economic development of the islands.
- Hence it is essential to have submarine OFC connectivity between the Mainland India and Andaman & Nicobar Islands, being the only option for catering to projected future bandwidth requirements.
