The survey work for implementing the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) project has been completed in over 230,000 gram panchayats by Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL). BBNL, which is the executing agency of the NOFN project, has also issued technical sanction to 181,000 of the total gram panchayats surveyed. The company had entrusted the survey work to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, RailTel and Power Grid Corporation of India.
Presently, the procurement orders for optical fibre cable (OFC) and electronic transmission equipment have been finalised and the three state-run entities have awarded work in 210 blocks for trenching and laying of OFC. Meanwhile, the Universal Service Obligation Fund has released a grant of Rs 9.19 billion for the NOFN project till date and BBNL has utilised Rs 4.63 billion so far on the project.
Before rolling out the project at national level, three pilot projects were conducted in Ajmer (Rajasthan), North Tripura and Vishakapatnam (Andhra Pradesh). The NOFN project aims to provide internet access to 250,000 gram panchayats in India. It is being implemented in three phases with an aim to connect 50,000 gram pachayats by March 2015, 100,000 by March 2016 and the balance by March 2017.
