The Ministry of Communications recently unveiled its ambitious ‘National Broadband Mission’. The mission is aimed at promoting equitable access to broadband services throughout India with a specific focus on rural and remote areas. It forms part of the broader National Digital Communications Policy, 2018. With a primary objective to accelerate the growth of digital communications infrastructure and narrow the digital divide, the mission also aspires to foster digital empowerment and inclusion. Furthermore, it seeks to ensure affordable and universal broadband access for all citizens.
National Broadband Mission: An Overview
Already, the BharatNet initiative ensured that broadband services reached about 142,000 village blocks across India. The National Broadband Mission now seeks to extend these services to everyone by 2022, including to remote hospitals, schools, and post offices.
Key Features of the Mission
The mission’s objectives reflect strong emphasis on three fundamental principles: universality, affordability, and quality. Some of the key features include:
- Ensuring broadband access to all villages by 2022.
- A significant improvement in the quality of services for mobile internet users.
- Development of a Broadband Readiness Index (BRI) to measure the availability of digital communications infrastructure and evaluate the policy environment within a State/UT.
Infrastructure-Related Objectives
The mission also has several important objectives focused on enhancing the digital communications infrastructure across the country.
- It aims to create a digital fiber map of the Digital Communications network and infrastructure, including Optical Fiber Cables and Towers.
- It plans for laying an incremental 30 lakhs route km of Optical Fiber Cable and an increase in tower density from 0.42 to 1.0 tower per thousand population by 2024.
Policy Alignment and Investment
The Centre plans to collaborate with States and UTs for consistent policies pertaining to the expansion of digital infrastructure, including for Right of Way (RoW) approvals required for laying optical fiber cables. Additionally, an investment of Rs 7 Lakh Crore including Rs 70,000 from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) is anticipated from stakeholders.
| Key Facts of National Broadband Mission |
|---|
| Broadband access to all Indian villages by 2022 |
| Creation of a Broadband Readiness Index |
| Laying of 30 lakhs route km of Optical Fiber Cable by 2024 |
| Rs 7 Lakh Crore expected investment from stakeholders |
Conclusion
The National Broadband Mission signifies a significant step toward digital empowerment and inclusion in India. It aims not only to extend broadband services countrywide but also to enhance the quality of these services. With a large scale investment expected, the mission heralds a new era in India’s digital communications sector.