Tarun Karthick
Campbell Bay, 01 June 2023
The Member of Parliament for Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mr Kuldeep Rai Sharma, presided over a Telecom Advisory Committee meeting held at the BSNL office on May 30, 2023. Attended by the CGM of BSNL, A & N Telecom Circle, and other senior officers of BSNL, the meeting served as a platform to address various crucial matters concerning the telecommunications sector in the A & N Islands.
Among the issues discussed, the most prominent concern raised by the Member of Parliament was the need to expedite the laying of the second Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) from Diglipur to Puri. Stressing the importance of parallel internet connectivity, he emphasized the significance of a second undersea OFC cable connecting the A & N Islands to Puri in Odisha, particularly for the IT & ITeS industry. The Member of Parliament highlighted that while the existing CANI OFC network provides high bandwidth internet, the absence of a backup network hinders investor confidence and poses risks to the IT & ITeS sector. Potential investors are concerned about disruptions to the existing network, which could paralyze various digital services such as e-banking, e-governance, e-trading, e-procurement, and e-teaching. Therefore, the Member of Parliament proposed the establishment of a parallel undersea OFC cable route from Puri to Diglipur, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity even during outages or failures in the primary network.
Additionally, the Member of Parliament urged BSNL representatives to prioritize the installation of power backup facilities for all communication towers throughout the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Acknowledging the region’s vulnerability to power cuts and natural calamities, he emphasized the importance of maintaining uninterrupted communication services for the public.
Furthermore, the Member of Parliament called for the installation of mobile towers with 4G connectivity in all inhabited areas of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, including remote and far-flung islands currently lacking mobile network coverage. This step would improve connectivity for islanders and enhance their access to mobile services.
These proposals put forward by the Member of Parliament aim to strengthen the telecommunications infrastructure in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, fostering economic growth, promoting reliable communication services, and meeting the evolving needs of the community.