Under Sea Optical Fibre

Optical Fibre is a technology that transmits data to very long distances in the form of light pulses in a strand of glass, plastic, or fibre.  Submarine optical fibres are laid on the sea bed between two land-based stations that are separated by a stretch of sea. It aims to establish high-performance telecommunication between the two land regions.

Key Points

• The optical fibre cables that are placed in the sea weigh about 1.4 tons per kilometer and carry a huge cost for manufacture and commissioning.
• Submarine transmission is considered to have the best security for transmission.
• In India, the first-ever undersea optical fibre communication is set to be established between Chennai and Andaman-Nicobar Islands. This project is named CANI and would provide high-speed mobile data services to the island UT. The cost of the project is Rs.1224 crores.
• The foundation of this 2,312 km long undersea optical fibre project was laid down in the year 2018 and was launched in August 2020.

Cabinet approves undersea optical fibre project between Kochi and Lakshadweep

• The Union Cabinet has approved the establishment of an undersea optical fibre communication network between Kochi and Lakshadweep islands.
• Under the project, 11 islands of Lakshadweep will be linked to Kochi using undersea optical fibre. The estimated cost of the project is Rs.1072 crore.
• The islands that will be linked under the project are- Amini, Kavaratti, Bitra, Agati, Minicoy, Kalpeni, Androth, Bangaram, Kiltan, Kadmat, and Chetlat.
• This undersea project will be funded by an agency under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT)- Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) and the execution of the project will be done by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL).
• In addition to this, Telecommunications Consultant India Ltd (TCIL) has been appointed as a technical consultant to assist USOF.
• It is targeted to complete this project by the year 2023.

Background

Prime Minister announced to connect Lakshadweep with a submarine or undersea optical fibre cable in 1000days in his Republic Day speech of 2020.