In the era of digitalisation, achieving digital connectivity is a must for providing socio-economic benefits to the masses. Digital connectivity enhances the pace and efficiency of the pro welfare schemes. In every spheres be education, health, finance, employment etc. digital connectivity can empowered the untouched masses. To realise this Bharat Net has been launched.
Salient features of Bharat Net are as follows:
- It aims to provide a minimum bandwidth of 100 Mbps to each of the 2.5 lakhs GPs.
- It will facilitate delivery of e-governance, e-health, e-education, e-banking, public internet access, G2C, B2B, P2P, B2C etc., weather, agricultural and other services to rural India.
- It is the new brand name of NOFN (National Optic Fibre Network) which is being implemented in three phases.
- First phase – Envisaged to provide one lakh gram panchayats with broadband connectivity by laying underground optic fibre cable lines with deadline of 31st December 2017, which was achieved.
- Second Phase – It will provide connectivity to all 2,50,500 Panchayats using an optimal mix of underground fibre, fibre over powerlines, radio and satellite media to be completed by March 2019.
- Third Phase – It will be implemented from 2019 to 2023 during which state-of-the art, future-proof network, including fiber between districts and blocks, with ring topology would be created.
- It is being implemented by a special purpose vehicle named Bharat Broadband Network Ltd. set up under Companies Act.
- BSNL, Railtel and Power Grid are executing agencies for the project in the ratio of 70:15:15.
It is being funded by the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).