National Conference on BharatNet Phase 2, MoUs to be signed with states

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New Delhi : Department of Telecommunication (DoT)  is organizing a National Conference with the State Governments and Service Providers on November 13, 2017, to showcase various utilization models leveraging BharatNet infrastructure.  The conference will be attended by IT Ministers and IT Secretaries from States.

Broadband infrastructure on Optical Fibre network has been made available to over 1 lakh Gram Panchayats (GPs) across the country as part of BharatNet Phase I. The State Governments shall be sharing their plans for leveraging the BharatNet infrastructure. DoT, on its part, has taken initiative to demonstrate various models that could possibly be adopted for these services. The Telecom Service Providers, who in collaboration with DoT, have taken initiative to set up centers in rural areas to demonstrate service delivery on BharatNet infrastructure, shall also be present to share their experiences, according to a PIB release.

The DoT had significantly increased the pace of implementation during the last six months to complete Phase I. Under BharatNet Phase I, Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) connectivity has reached to over 1, 00, 000 Gram Panchayats (GPs) across different States in the country.  By December,  2017, all 1 lakh GPs will be operational on the BharatNet infrastructure. As of today, almost 90,000 installations have been completed and Services are expected to commence in 80,000 GPs shortly. The DoT will also sign Memorandum of Understanding ( MoUs) with States for the implementation of BharatNet Phase II during the Conference.