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Source: The post is based on the article “What is KFON, Kerala’s scheme for internet connectivity for all households” published in the Indian Express on 8th June 2023
What is the News?
The Kerala government officially launched the Kerala Fibre Optical Network (KFON). Through KFON, Kerala became the first state to declare the right to Internet as a basic right.
What is Kerala Fibre Optical Network (KFON)?
Need: Kerala State Wide Area Network (KSWAN), the existing state Information Infrastructure connecting government offices, is limited to 3,800 premises. Hence, the Government in 2017 decided to establish KFON.
Aim:
-To reduce the digital divide by ensuring high-speed broadband internet access to all houses and government offices.
-To give a fillip to e-governance and accelerate Kerala’s journey towards being a knowledge-based economy.
-To create a core network infrastructure (information highway) with non-discriminatory access to all service providers.
-To ensure a reliable, secure and scalable intranet connecting all government offices and educational institutions.
Speed and specifications: It is an optical fibre cable network of 30,000 kms, with 375 Points-of-Presence across Kerala.
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.
Significance: Basically, KFON will act as an infrastructure provider. The KFON infrastructure will be shared with all service providers, including cable operators. Local ISP/TSP/cable TV providers would provide Internet connectivity to the households.
How will KFON benefit the poor?
The government wants to ensure internet connection for 20 lakh families below poverty line under KFON. In the first phase, as many as 14,000 BPL families would get connections to high-speed internet, free of cost. With time, 100 BPL families in each of the state’s 140 Assembly constituencies will be selected for this scheme
