Lok Sabha Question No. 1019 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-03-02
Subject: NOFN Project
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: PRATHAP SIMHA, SHOBHA KARANDLAJE, SANJAY JAISWAL

## MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1019

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 2 nd  MARCH,  2016

## NOFN PROJECT

1019.  SHRI PRATHAP SIMHA: KUMARI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE:

DR. SANJAY JAISWAL:

Will  the  Minister  of  COMMUNICATIONS  AND  INFORMATION  TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  build  proper  ecosystem  and  sustainable models to  avoid  glitches  in  the  implementation  of  the  National  Optical  Fibre  Network (NOFN) and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  merge  e-governance  programmes  of Centre, State and local authorities into Digital India; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD)

- (a) In  order  to  review  the  strategy,  approach  and  to  avoid  the  complexities  of implementation of National Optical Fibre  Network  (NOFN) Project  towards  its  speedy implementation, a Committee was constituted on 14th January, 2015.  The Committee submitted its report on 31 st March, 2015. The Committee, inter-alia, recommended that the  project  be  renamed  as  BharatNet  to  reflect  the  national  aspiration  to  establish  a highly  scalable  network  infrastructure  accessible  on  a  non-discriminatory  basis  to realize the vision of Digital India, in partnership with the States and the private sector. Major recommendations of the Committee are given at Annexure-I.
- (b) & (c)        Digital India is a programme to transform India into a digitally empowered society  and  knowledge  economy.    It  is  an  Umbrella  Programme  that  covers  multiple Government agencies of Centre, State/UT and local authorities. The programme aims at  pulling  together many existing schemes. The schemes have been restructured and re-focused and are being implemented in a synchronized manner.

Contd……2/-

## Annexure-I Major  recommendations  of  the  Committee  on  National  Optical  Fibre  Network (NOFN)

- (i) Fresh optical fibre (48/96 core) should be laid in ring topology between District Headquarters (DHQs) and Block Headquarters (BHQs).
- (ii) Gram Panchayats with more than 500 householdsshould be connected to BHQ in ring topology (24 core). Gram Panchayats with lessthan 500 households situated upto  a  distance  of  7.5  km  from  BHQ  should  be  connected  in  a  linear  network through Gigabit Passive Optical Network(GPON).
- (iii) Far flung GPs (over a distance of 7.5 km from BHQ) and having less than 500 households should be connected through radio network and very low household GPs having less than 150 households at a distance of greater than 10 km from BHQ by satellite.
- (iv) Government  Institutions  at  the  District/Block/GP  should  be  provided  horizontal connectivity.
- (v) Internet  Protocol/  Multi  Level  Switching  Protocol  (IP/MPLS)  technology  for DHQ/BHQ and BHQ/GP rings may be considered.
- (vi) Three implementation models, namely, State Led, CPSU Led and Private Sector Led, may be considered for accelerated roll out of the network.
- (vii) 50% pairs of dark fibres at GP level may be set aside for allocation to telecom service  providers,  multi  service  operators,  local  cable  operators  and  internet service providers through auction.
- (viii)  Remaining fibre pairs should be provided for bandwidth at wholesale rate to any retail service providers.
- (ix) BBNL  should  be  empowered  into  Board-led  Company  and  professionalize decision  making  and  accountability  so  that  BBNL's  professional  staff  would operate  in  organizational  framework  with  clearly  defined  responsibilities  and powers;
- (x) De-layering  decision  making  process  by  establishing  an  empowered  project group headed by MoC&IT and including Secretaries of Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Department of Electronics and IT (DeitY), Department  of  Economic  Affairs  (DEA),  Department  of  Industrial  Policy  & Promotion (DIPP), Rural Development, Power, Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog and Chairman, BBNL.

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