PM Modi inaugurates Submarine Optical Fibre Cable connecting Chennai, Port Blair

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated and dedicated to the nation submarine Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) connecting Chennai and Port Blair through video conferencing.

He said that inauguration of the submarine Optical Fibre Cable in Andaman and Nicobar Islands will ensure high-speed broadband connectivity, fast mobile and landline telecom services and will give a big boost to the local economy.

The foundation stone for the project was laid by Mr Modi on December 30, 2018, at Port Blair.

The submarine cable will also connect Port Blair to Swaraj Dweep, Little Andaman, Car Nicobar, Kamorta, Great Nicobar, Long Island, and Rangat. This connectivity will enable the delivery of faster and more reliable mobile and landline telecom services to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Prime Minister in a tweet today said, "Inauguration of the submarine Optical Fibre Cable in Andaman and Nicobar Islands ensures: High-speed broadband connectivity. Fast and reliable mobile and landline telecom services. Big boost to the local economy. Delivery of e-governance, telemedicine and tele-education."

Enhanced telecom and Broadband connectivity will boost tourism and employment generation in the Islands and also give an impetus to the economy and raise standards of living. Better connectivity will facilitate the delivery of e-Governance services like telemedicine and tele-education. Small enterprises will benefit from opportunities in e-commerce, educational institutions will utilize enhanced availability of bandwidth for learning and knowledge sharing.

In a different tweet, PM Modi said, "Today, 10th August is a special day for my sisters and brothers of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. At 10:30 this morning, the submarine Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) connecting Chennai and Port Blair will be inaugurated."

Major highlights of the Submarine Optical Fibre Cable Link

The cable Link will deliver bandwidth of 2x200 Gigabits per second, Gbps between Chennai and Port Blair, and 2x100 Gbps between Port Blair and the other islands.

Provision of reliable, robust, and high-speed telecom and Broadband facilities in these Islands will be a landmark achievement from the viewpoint of consumers, as well as for strategic and governance reasons.

4G mobile services, which were constrained due to limited backhaul bandwidth provided via satellite will also see a major improvement.

Business Process Outsourcing services and other medium and large enterprises will also reap the benefits of better connectivity.

About the Project

The project is funded by the Government of India through the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) under the Department of Telecommunications in the Ministry of Communications. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) executed this project while Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL) is the Technical Consultants. About 2,300 Kilometers of Submarine Optical Fibre Cable has been laid at a cost of about Rs 1,224 Crore and the project has been completed in time.