The Government on Tuesday promised broadband access in all villages by 2022, as it launched the ambitious National Broadband Mission entailing stakeholder investment of Rs 7 lakh crore in the coming years.
The mission will facilitate universal and equitable access to broadband services across the country, especially in rural and remote areas. It also involves laying of incremental 30 lakh route km of Optical Fiber Cable and increase in tower density from 0.42 to 1 tower per thousand of population by 2024.
The mission — unveiled by Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad — will also aim at significantly improving quality of services for mobile and internet.
“By 2022, we will take broadband to all the villages of India...The number of towers in the country which is about 5.65 lakh will be increased to 10 lakh,” Prasad said.
The mission also envisages increasing fiberisation of towers to 70 per cent from 30 per cent at present, he added.
The mission will enable strengthening of technological infrastructure for education, health, entrepreneurship and development, he said. “We will also take the speeds up to 50 Mbps is a phased manner,” Prasad promised.
He urged the States to extend full support to the mission, to take benefits of technology (fuelled by high speed connectivity) to people.