New Delhi: The Cabinet is likely to consider tomorrow a proposal for enhancing telecom connectivity to Andaman and Nicobar Islands through a submarine cable network to augment the present connectivity through satellites.
The Cabinet is also likely to discuss fund for supporting rural landline services installed before April 1, 2002.
"Cabinet may discuss the project of providing connectivity to Andaman & Nicobar Islands by laying an undersea cable between Chennai and Port Blair," a source told PTI.
Government has decided to lay submarine optical fibre cable from Chennai to Port Blair.
To improve connectivity in A&N islands, the Telecom Commission in April gave nod to laying of submarine cable which will cost around Rs 1,000 crore. At present, telecom services are provided through satellites in the islands.
The panel has also approved increasing satellite bandwidth three times for Lakshadweep islands from 100 mbps to 300 mbps.
Telecom regulator TRAI has recommended an initial plan costing about Rs 2,400 crore to connect Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep which at present rely on connectivity through satellites.
In Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI) 29 out of 576 islands are inhabited and 90 per cent of the population lives in three islands - North, Middle and South Andaman Islands alone.
In Lakshadweep, 11 out of 36 are inhabited and 10 of the inhabited islands have population above 100.
For Andaman & Nicobar Islands, the regulator has suggested connecting 22 islands, which included 18 islands with population of above 100 and four islands which have presence of police, forest camps and tourists.
For Lakshadweep, the regulator has factored connectivity at 10 inhabited villages.
Besides, the cabinet may discuss fund support to BSNL for managing Rural Direct Exchange Lines that provide landline connections in rural area.
Trai has earlier recommended support of Rs 2,750 crore for two years ending 2013 and asked BSNL to make landline connections in rural area broadband enabled.
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