Targets missed in version 1.0, National Broadband Mission 2.0 in the works – Technology News

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is working on the next phase of the National Broadband Mission to improve connectivity, quality of services, increase broadband penetration and infrastructure in the country.

Although the current National Broadband Mission has completed its five-year cycle, the objectives have not been achieved. Therefore, the new mission will aim to set realistic targets for fiberizing towers, laying infrastructure for optical fiber cables (OFCs) and improving broadband speeds, officials said.

The plan is currently at the approval stage. Discussions are underway regarding areas of intervention, investments to be made by the government and responsibilities of the private sector to improve connectivity, especially in remote areas to eliminate the digital divide, officials said.

Once approved, the National Broadband Mission 2.0 will likely come into effect from April 1, 2025.

Under the Broadband India Mission launched in 2019, the government had set a target of achieving 100% connectivity to villages by 2022. However, this figure is currently around 95%, according to data from the government.

Building on the $100 billion financing plan to invest in the installation of towers, fiber optic infrastructure and other resources, established under the mission in 2019, the government had said that it would contribute about 10% of that amount ($10 billion) through the Universal Fund. Service Obligation Fund (USOF). However, overall USOF disbursements over the past five years show that the government has spent around Rs 30,000 crore (around $3.5 billion).

Objectives were also missed in the area of ​​pylon fibering. The government had predicted a fiber-optic rate for towers of 70%, but the figure is 45%, according to DoT data up to October.

Higher capital spending requirements from telecommunications carriers, lingering regulatory hurdles, fees at the state government level and technological evolution are some of the challenges, officials say. reason why the objectives of fiberizing the pylons could not be achieved.

Tower fiberization involves connecting mobile towers to a high-capacity fiber optic network. This enables high-speed data transfer between the towers and the core network, ensuring low latency and high bandwidth.

Officials said telecom operators have begun looking for low-cost wireless solutions, such as broadband microwave links for backhaul connectivity that use high-frequency radio waves to transmit data wirelessly. Therefore, in the new stage of the National Broadband Mission, the corresponding target should be reconsidered.

Likewise, the total number of mobile towers installed stood at 811,716 at the end of October, compared to 1.5 million planned as part of the mission. Against the target of laying 5 million km of optical fiber, the government has laid around 4.19 million km of optical fiber, according to DoT data.