BackRural wireless broadband to be rolled out by year-end
Rural wireless broadband to be rolled out by year-end
PremiumVision ahead: BSNL plans to install WiMax capabilities in 1,000 blocks out of 6,000, says Kuldeep Goyal, chairman and MD. Photograph: Harikrishna Katragadda / Mint
New Delhi: The first rural rollouts of wireless broadband powered by the so-called Wimax protocol could take place before the year-end, a top executive of government-owned phone firm Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, or BSNL, said here on Thursday.
“We are planning on installing WiMax capabilities in 1,000 blocks out of the total 6,000," said Kuldeep Goyal, BSNL’s chairman and managing director at an industry meet here. “Proof-of-concepts, for which we’re working closely with a number of vendors, are being installed, and will hopefully be completed in the next few months." A block refers to an administrative grouping of villages, at times around a town
Wimax is short for worldwide inter-operability for microwave access, a standard that is capable of data speeds of 10 megabytes per second up to 2km away from a radio transmitter.
The wireless broadband rollout will bring Internet connectivity to what are called Common Service Centers, or CSCs, computer kiosks equipped to provide e-governance services related to health, education and agricultural information, and designed to provide connectivity to citizens.
Under the plan, nearly 100,000 CSCs, covering 600,000 villages, have been approved at a cost of Rs5,742 crore over four years. Goyal estimates CSCs in 25,000 villages to go live over the next year.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
