AP requests Centre for infra for Bharat Net optimum utilisation

Vijayawada : The state government requested the Government of India to facilitate supply of 35 lakh Customer Premises Equipment boxes for optimal utilisation of the Bharat Net infrastructure in the state.

AP infrastructure and investment secretary S Suresh Kumar made a detailed presentation to Union minister of state for panchayat raj and communications Dr Pemmasani Chandrasekhar and Union telecommunications secretary Dr Neeraj Mittal at a high-level meeting in New Delhi on the progress of the Bharat Net project. APSFL managing director K Dinesh Kumar also attended.

The I&l secretary requested the Centre to reimburse Rs 635 crore spent on IP-Multi Protocol Label Switching technology for Bharat Net Phase-Il in the state. Suresh Kumar also requested the Centre to clear the pending payment towards capital expenditure for the Bharat Net Phase-ll.

He said AP State Fibernet Limited has been working to provide affordable, high-speed broadband connectivity across the state, particularly for rural and underserved regions. Since inception, APSFL has provided connections to over 9.7 lakh households, of which about 5 lakh connections are now active. In addition, 6,200 schools, 1,978 health centres, 11,254 gram panchayats, 5,800 farmers’ support centres, 193 telecom towers and 9,104 government institutions.

Though in 2020 the APSFL’s subscriber base peaked to 9.7 lakh connections, it could not be sustained or expanded due to supply constraints.

The secretary submitted to the Union government that to fully utilise both the APSFL Phase-I network and Bharat Net Phase-Il infrastructure, there is an urgent need for 35 lakh Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) boxes. APSFL is uniquely positioned to immediately deploy these boxes, thereby delivering swift and impactful results for optimal utilisation of Bharat Net. This model would by APSFL,” Suresh Kumar elaborated.