Why in news?

• The Kerala government has officially launched the Kerala Fibre Optical Network (KFON).
• Through KFON, Kerala aims to reduce the digital divide by ensuring high speed broadband internet access to all houses and government offices.
  • Kerala was the first state to declare the right to internet as a basic right.

What’s in today’s article?

• Kerala Fibre Optical Network (KFON)

Kerala Fibre Optical Network (KFON)

• About
  • KFON will act as an infrastructure provider.
  • KFON is an optical fibre cable network of 30,000 kms, with 375 Points-of-Presence across Kerala.
  • The KFON infrastructure will be shared with all service providers, including cable operators.
    • While KFON will do the cable work for government offices, individual beneficiaries will have to depend on private, local internet service providers.
  • KFON promises an internet speed from 10 mbps to 10 Gbps. The quality of mobile phone calls is also expected to improve.
    • Once KFON is connected to mobile towers in Kerala, it will speed up transition to 4G and 5G.
• Aim
  • The project is aimed at ensuring universal Internet access and narrowing the digital divide, which has become especially acute after the COVID-19 outbreak.
  • For this it will create a core network infrastructure (information highway) with non-discriminatory access to all service providers.
• Stakeholders
  • KFON project is a joint venture of Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) and Kerala State IIT Infrastructure Limited.
  • Implementation– by a consortium led by Central PSU Bharat Electronics Limited
  • Consultant –Price Waterhouse Coopers
  • Operations and maintenance by Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Ltd (KSITIL)
  • System integrator – Bharat Electronics (BEL)
• Funding -The project is fully funded by Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), the state government agency for funding infrastructure projects.
• Beneficiaries
  • Through KFON Internet connections would be provided free of cost to 20 lakh below-poverty-line (BPL) families.
    • In the first stage of KFON, the government wants to provide connectivity to 30,000 government offices and 14,000 BPL families in the state.

What was the need for KFON?

• Existing TELCOS have only limited infrastructure in the rural areas
  • The telecom sector is dominated by private players.
  • The government is of the view that existing TELCOS have only limited infrastructure in the rural areas.
  • Their wireless connectivity infrastructure is providing only limited bandwidth.
  • Due to the low business potential in rural areas, private TELCOs are not keen to enhance connectivity infrastructure.
• Limited reach of Kerala State Wide Area Network (KSWAN)
  • KSWAN, the existing state Information Infrastructure connecting government offices, is limited to 3,800 premises.
  • Hence, the Government in 2017 decided to establish KFON, for efficient service delivery, assured Quality of Service, reliability, interoperability, and security