KOCHI: The long wait of Lakshadweep natives for an enhanced high-speed wireline broadband connectivity is finally set to end, with the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) setting up a total of 18 indigenously-made 4G cell towers besides initiating an upgradation drive covering 50 existing cell towers.
“While the 4G connectivity was there from April 2023, the same couldn’t be provided to a large area due to insufficient 4G mobile towers. Now we are setting up 18 new towers with home-grown equipment under the Atmanirbhar Bharat, besides upgrading 50 existing towers to 4G. Our target is to set up one lakh such indigenous towers before March 31 next year,” said a senior BSNL official posted at Agatti.
While the 4G connectivity was there from April 2023, the islanders couldn’t enjoy the high-speed internet facilities. “Though 4G connectivity was introduced last year, the same has been provided using 3G-spectrum. Now the new and the upgraded towers are using the 4G-spectrum, which would enable them to enjoy high-speed broadband connectivity, the official explained.
The first of the series of 4G cell towers of the BSNL being upgraded in the tropical archipelago started functioning on Saturday.
“We’re upgrading a total of 50 BSNL towers in the union territory which will enable the islanders to get 4G coverage and enjoy high speed data services. The first of the towers upgraded at Kalpeni GH will go functional tomorrow (Saturday),” said an official of Zentix Telecommunications Pvt Ltd, a partner of TCS.
Earlier, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) placed a Rs 24,500 crore order to Tata Group companies TCS and Tejas Networks for rolling out 4G network for several government-funded projects in several regions, including in Lakshadweep.
The work is part of the ongoing Kochi-Lakshadweep Islands Submarine Optical Fiber Connection (KLI - SOFC) project. Earlier, the only means of communication with the islands was through the satellite medium, which had limited bandwidth capacity and was unable to meet the growing bandwidth demand. Now, high-speed broadband will be delivered through Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) and 5G/4G mobile networks.
“We’re upgrading the 2G/3G mobile towers of the BSNL, mainly by changing the modules and cables. Nearly 80 per cent of the population here uses the BSNL network, and could not even use smart phones, as most smartphones now do not support 3G technology. Hence this project is crucial for the islanders. In the first phase, we will cover Kalpeni and Minicoy and the work in these two islands is expected to be over in another 10 days,” the official pointed out.
The 4G coverage will also improve facilities like government services, medical treatment, education, and digital banking. Airtel has already set up 4G towers in the islands of Bangaram, Kavaratti, and Agatti. “However, only a few 4G cell towers are there in each of these islands, which are grossly inadequate,” he said.
Under the Kochi-Lakshadweep Submarine OFC Project (KLI project), a high capacity submarine cable link is being laid from the Kochi mainland. The total distance covered by the undersea cable is 1,868 kilometers. The project will provide connectivity from the mainland (Kochi) to eleven Lakshadweep Islands, namely Kavaratti, Agatti, Amini, Kadmat, Chetlet, Kalpeni, Minicoy, Androth, Kiltan, Bangaram, and Bitra.