Port Blair, Apr 11: Dy. Director General and Director, Department of Telecom (DOT) visited Mayabunder on an official tour from 08th April 2022 to 09th April 2022 to review the progress of USOF projects implementation in the N&M District.
Government of Indian government has approved a project titled “Provision of coverage to the uncovered villages & seamless coverage” along the National Highways (NH4) through 4G based Mobile Technology.
M/s Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd is executing the project. As part of the project, 128 towers/sites are to be set up for providing 4G based mobile services in 85 identified uncovered villages and seamless coverage along NH-4 (earlier known as NH-223) in A&N Islands.
North and Middle Andaman District is presently served through 63 Towers and 103 BTS. There are 198 inhabited census villages in the district, 117 villages are already covered and whereas 81 villages are yet to be covered. The GoI has planned through USOF (Universal service obligation fund) Project to install 52 mobile towers to provide 4G Mobile coverage to approximately 53 uncovered villages and another 34 towers to provide seamless mobile coverage on NH-04 falling in North and Middle districts during this FY 2022-23.
This will enable both voice and high-speed internet access in these villages and bridge the digital divide and provide mobile service at par with the urban area.
Under the Bharat Net Project project, to provide Optical Fiber connectivity to all the 7 block HQs (BHQs) and 70 Gram Panchayat in A&N Island is executed. In North and Middle Andaman district Mayabunder, Rangat Block HQs and 8 Gram Panchayat (Kishorinagar, Diglipur, Mayabunder, Rampur, Pokadera, Rangat, Parnashala, Long Islands work are completed and for the remaining targeted to be completed by June 2022.
This will enable the provision of high-speed internet access in the Gram Panchayat office/other government offices and public Wi-Fi hotspots in these gram panchayat areas.
Another Project implemented by DOT ie. PM -WANI Project (Prime Minister Wi-Fi Access Network Interface) to proliferate Public Wi-Fi hotspots across the country and the same was introduced in A&N Islands on 24th Dec 2021.
After the launch of the PM-WANI scheme in the A&N Islands, the first PDO (Public data office) was commissioned at ChidiyaTappu and thereafter total of 30 PDOs/ Public Wi-Fi hot spots are made operational and expected to increase multifold with more and more public participation in A&N Islands.
In North and Middle Andaman, a total of 15 PM-WANI PDOs (Public Data Offices) i.e. Wi-Fi hotspots are made operational. Small Shop owners/Entrepreneurs are requested to make use of this opportunity and come forward to become part of this project and install more and more PDO Wi-Fi hotspots and provide high-speed internet services in their locality and start earning by sales of data plans vouchers.
