PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate submarine cable connectivity via video conferencing

On 10 August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) submarine linking Chennai and Port Blair via video conference.

On 10 August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) submarine linking Chennai and Port Blair via video conference.

The new service would allow quicker and more efficient mobile and landline telecommunications services to be provided to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, at the same time as other parts of the world.

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The submarine network would also link Port Blair to Swaraj Dweep (Havelock), Little Andaman, Car Nicobar, Kamorta, Long Island, Great Nicobar and Rangat.

“Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to inaugurate submarine cable connectivity to Andaman & Nicobar Islands (A&NI) on Monday 10 August,” the report announced.

A submarine communications cable is a cable laid among land-based stations on the seabed for transmitting telecommunications digital signal across stretches of ocean and sea.

The bandwidth of 2 x 200 Gigabits per second (Gbps) between Chennai and Port Blair and 2 x 100 Gbps between Port Blair and the other islands will be provided by the submarine optical fiber cable.

“Provision of reliable, robust, and high-speed telecom and broadband facilities in these islands will be a landmark achievement from the viewpoint of consumers, as well as for strategic and governance reasons,” the statement mentioned.

Other companies could gain from e-commerce incentives, while education organizations utilize increased bandwidth access for e-learning and the exchange of information.

“Enhanced telecommunications and internet access would improve tourism and the creation of employment in the islands, boost the economy and increase living standards. Better connectivity will also facilitate the delivery of e-government services such as tele-medicine and tele-education, “the statement added.

The gross cost of approximately Rs 1.224 Crore was projected to be 2,300 km of Submarine Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) and the project was well achieved inside this time-scale.

The project was carried out by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), while the Technical Contractor was Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL).

Later generations of cables carried telephone traffic, followed by data communication traffic. New cables utilize optical fiber technologies to transport digital content, including mobile, web and personal data flows.