Tech Telecom

In Kavaratti, Lakshadweep, today, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, inaugurated, dedicated to the nation, and laid the foundation stone for more than 1150 crores of development projects. These projects are divided into different sectors, such as technology and communication. The Kochi-Lakshadweep Islands submarine optical fibre connection was launched today, as part of the same, with a view to providing fast internet in the islands.

The “Kochi-Lakshadweep Islands Submarine Optical Fiber Connection (KLI – SOFC)” project will ensure 100 times faster Internet for the people of Lakshadweep. This will improve facilities like government services, medical treatment, education and digital banking. The Prime Minister’s Office said in an official statement that this would strengthen the potential of developing Lakshadweep as a logistics hub.

In Lakshadweep, the dedicated submarine OFC will facilitate faster and more reliable internet services, telemedicine, egovernance, education initiatives, digital banking, digital currency usage, digital literacy, among others.

In December 2020, the Cabinet had approved the KLI submarine cable connectivity program with a 1772-kilometre of route length at Rs 837-crore of capital expenditure (capex) and Rs 235-crore of operating expense (opex).

In a transformative move, the Prime Minister had resolved to overcome the challenge of slow internet speed in Lakshadweep by initiating the Kochi-Lakshadweep Islands Submarine Optical Fiber Connection (KLI – SOFC) project which was announced during the Independence Day speech at Red Fort in 2020. The project has now been completed and was inaugurated by the Prime Minister. This will increase internet speed by more than 100 times (from 1.7 Gbps to 200 Gbps).  For the first time since independence, Lakshadweep will be connected through Submarine Optic Fibre Cable.