On the 74th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that in the next 1000 days every village in India will get optical fibre internet while addressing the country from the iconic Red Fort in Delhi during a restricted ceremony amid the coronavirus pandemic.
He also said that before 2014, only 5 dozen panchayats in the country were connected with optical fibre but in the last 5 years after the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) swept to power, 1.5 lakh gram panchayats in the country have been connecting to optical fibre cables. The aim now is to connect every village with high-speed internet within 1000 days.
The future of high-speed broadband services depends on optical fibre, allowing data transference at a 10 GB per second speed. He said that it is important to realise that the dream of a digital India will only be possible if all the Indian villages have internet. Hence PM Modi’s government has frequently called for India’s villages to get online be for healthcare, employment or education.
He asserted, “We are rapidly expanding our fibre optic network. It will reach every gram panchayat within 1000 days.” He also said how the Digital India Campaign has played a pivotal role during coronavirus pandemic. He further added that the Union Territory of Lakshadweep on the Arabian Sea will be connected with submarine optical fibre cable. A 2,312 km submarine optic fibre cable linking Chennai and Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar was inaugurated by him, a few days ago. The cable is expected to boost tourism and employment in the region. It developed at a cost of Rs. 1,224 crore.
Adding to it he said, “India is alert, cautious and is taking decisions to counter security threats and is constantly developing new systems. A new national cybersecurity strategy has been drafted in the country and will be soon launched.”
The threat that digital dependence has been recognised and has increased security and privacy. He also announced that the new policy for cybersecurity will be unveiled soon.
On the other hand, there have been several tweets stating internet issues in various areas. Anmol Agarwal tweeted tagging Jio, “Very poor service in Siddharthnagar 272207(UP). Your 4G internet is slower than 2G. There is no worth in getting a tag of debt-free or India’s largest network company if you won’t able to provide service. It’s already been 3 months but there is no improvement.”
This wasn’t the only one, Alok Agarwal and Archita Agarwal have also tweeted tagging Airtel India and Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, stating their problems.
However, it is important to set up the optical fibre internet for a digital India but isn’t it also necessary to improve the standard of the network that already exists? The broadband services have to work on the quality of the internet that they are already providing while focusing on establishing it in the new areas.
Image Credits:- The Indian Express
