Govt Expands Broadband Reach in Rural India via NBM

24 Mar 2025 CW Team

The Government of India is taking significant steps to enhance broadband connectivity in rural areas through the National Broadband Mission (NBM), including initiatives in Tamil Nadu.

Key Initiatives Gati Shakti Sanchar Portal, launched on 14th May 2022, streamlines Right of Way (RoW) approvals for laying optical fibre cables (OFC) and installing telecom towers. Telecommunications Act 2023 and Right of Way Rules 2024 (effective 1st January 2025) further simplify RoW permissions to accelerate network expansion. BharatNet Project aims to provide broadband access to all Gram Panchayats and villages on demand. High-speed internet schemes target remote regions, including the North-East, Islands, LWE-affected areas, Aspirational Districts, and border villages. Submarine optical fibre cables connect Chennai–Andaman & Nicobar and Kochi–Lakshadweep, improving connectivity in coastal regions.

Tamil Nadu Leads in Broadband Expansion Under the state-led model, the government has invested Rs 15.44 billion, of which Rs 10.93 billion has been utilised as of February 2025. 10,298 out of 12,524 Gram Panchayats are now service-ready, with 53,511 km of Optical Fibre Cable laid.

NBM 2.0 to Launch in April 2025 Building on the success of NBM 1.0, the second phase, starting 1st April 2025, will accelerate India's digital transformation and boost global competitiveness. This information was shared by Dr Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, in a Rajya Sabha reply on 20th March 2025.

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