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The submarine Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) was launched by India Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (August 10). The submarine cable connection was launched through video conferencing due to ongoing situation of COVID-19 pandemic.
The PM said in a tweet, “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 Fiber Cable (OFC) connecting Chennai and Port Blair will be inaugurated.”
The 2,300 km long submarine optical fiber cable under sea will connect Chennai in Tamil Nadu to Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The link will provide 2 X 200 gigabits per second (Gbps) bandwidth between Chennai and Port Blair. The link will also provide bandwidth of 2 X 100 Gbps between Port Blair and other islands in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands including Car Nicobar, Great Nicobar, Kamorta, Long Island, Little Andaman, Rangat and Swaraj Dweep (Havelock).
According to statement from the PM Modi, the submarine optical fiber cable in Andaman and Nicobar Islands will ensure below listed services:
- High speed broadband connectivity
- Big boost to the local economy
- Delivery of e-governance, telemedicine and tele-education
- Fast and reliable mobile and landline telecom services
The PM Modi laid the foundation stone for the project on December 30, 2018 in Port Blair. The cost of laying the cable is approximately Rs 1,224 crore. The project is funded by the Government of India through the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) under the Department of Telecommunications and Ministry of Communications.
