The government of Tamil Nadu is set to launch a large-scale initiative to provide high-speed internet to 10 million rural households annually, under the centre’s BharatNet scheme aimed at bridging the digital divide in rural India.
In Tamil Nadu, the project is being executed by the Tamil Nadu FiberNet Corporation Limited (TANFINET), which is deploying optical fibre connectivity across 12,525-gram panchayats in the state.
Work on the project began in 2018 and has now entered its final phase. So far, nearly 55,000 km of optical fibre cables have been laid, covering 11,800 villages. Further, the state government has announced that the remaining work is expected to be completed by next month.
Currently, notices inviting applications from internet service providers (ISPs) for around 4,000 villages have been published on TANFINET’s official website, with similar calls for an additional 4,000 villages to follow shortly. The remaining villages will be covered soon after.
Furthermore, the rollout of internet connections is scheduled to begin next month, with the government targeting 10 million connected rural homes within the year.
