BSNL to provide low-cost Net at Rs69 per month to panchayats

Our Correspondent

Hamirpur, April 9

Each gram panchayat would be provided with low cost internet service under the Prime Minister Wi-Fi Access Network Interface programme. This was stated by Ajit Kumar, General Manager of BSNL, while addressing the media here today.

He said the service would be available at Rs 69 per month with one GB data per day. The General Manager said as the concept of public call offices (PCOs) had vanished and now BSNL would launch public data offices (PDOs) in secondary switching areas (SSAs) and this would create new jobs and revenue. He said these services would be covered under the PM Wani programme and the internet facility would be available in the remotest corners with the help of PDOs.

1 gb data per day

• Ajit Kumar, General Manager of BSNL, said the service would be available at Rs69 per month with one GB data per day.
• He said these services would be covered under the PM Wani programme and the internet facility would be available in the remotest corners with the help of PDOs.

He said BSNL had also increased its fibre to home (FTH) service and 97 optical line terminators (OLT) were installed in the area. The General Manager said the SSA had 656 gram panchayats, while 354 of them were connected with FTH service.

He said the facility of the FTH was available in 86 telephone exchanges of total 122 in the SSA. So far, 37 PDOs were established in the SSA, he added. The General Manager said anyone could establish a PDO with an investment of Rs 10-15,000 and start earning. The vendor would be given 50 per cent share of revenue collection and a nominal fee of Rs 500 would be payable by the vendor.

He said under the BBNL Bhart-Net project, BSNL would cover all panchayats of the SSA to provide internet facility, while 275 of 656 were already connected and 438-km OFC was laid so far. DGM Rajender Kumar Dhiman, Finance Advisor Kartar Chand and other officers of BSNL were also present.