- The Kerala government plans to establish an “affordable” network infrastructure across the state at the cost of ₹1,500 crores.
- Kerala became the first state to have its own broadband service K-FON or ‘Kerala Fiber Optic Network’, a state-run initiative launched by the chief minister.
- The CM said that by ensuring connectivity in places through K-FON, “no one would be left behind and everyone would be a part of the real Kerala story.”
- The service is claimed to offer equivalent high speed and quality as other service providers, but at more affordable rates.
Kerala became the first state to have its own broadband service K-FON or ‘Kerala Fiber Optic Network’, a state-run initiative launched by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan-led government, in a bid to improve internet accessibility to the people.
While launching the service, the CM advocated for universal internet access and hailed the initiative as a pivotal step towards transforming Kerala into a knowledge economy and fostering an innovation-driven society. The CM said that by ensuring connectivity in places through K-FON, including Idamalakudy in the interiors of the forest, “no one would be left behind and everyone would be a part of the real Kerala story.”
Vijayan introduced K-FON as an alternative model to the corporate-run telecom sector. The move is a bid to bridge the digital divide by “freeing the people from the exploitation of private sector cable networks and mobile service providers,” he said.
The service is claimed to offer equivalent high speed and quality as other service providers but at more affordable rates. The most basic plan would cost ₹299 (excluding GST) per month with a speed of 20 Mbps. It also comes with a free download limit of 3,000 GB each month. K-FON’s highest plan is priced at ₹1,249 (excluding GST) with a speed of 250 Mbps. The plan comes with a free download limit of 5,000 GB per month.
3)As per the service’s website, it’s a fundamental network infrastructure – an “information highway” with “non-discriminatory access to all service providers so as to augment their connectivity gap.” For this 35,000 km optical fiber network would be established across the state at a cost of ₹1,500 crore. It has been funded by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB).
4)The project will be completed in two tracks. In its first phase, the outlying of the state-wide core optical fiber network would be done to provide connectivity to 30,000+ government institutions. In the second phase, the government plans to provide free internet to economically backward families and subsidized connections to others by leveraging K-FON Infrastructure.
5)The website states that the project’s ultimate motive is to provide free internet access to more than 20 lakh people. The CM said the initiative would cover nearly 14,000 households in Kerala.
(With input from agencies)
