×
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Road Transport Ministry to build 25,000 km OFC infrastructure in 3 years

The Ministry has invited tender for development of OFC infrastructure
Last Updated 22 January 2023, 18:38 IST

The Union Ministry of Transport is planning to have OFC (Optical Fiber Cable) infrastructure along 25,000 km of national highways with the investment of over Rs 6,000 crore in the next three years.

The Ministry has invited tender for development of OFC infrastructure along one brownfield and one greenfield pilot projects Hyderabad-Bangalore National Highway and Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, having a total length of 2000 kms at a total cost of Rs. 500 crores as a pilot project, the Ministry informed Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture.

Delhi-Mumbai Expressway passes through 23 districts impacting a population of approximately 6.58 crore, and Hyderabad-Bangalore National Highway impacts population of approximately 3.6 crore.

"Given the financial sustainability of the OFC model through initial investment, the Government plans to scale up the leased OFC infrastructure from 2,000 kms to 25,000 kms in the next 3 years," the Ministry said.

To realize India’s National Broadband Mission vision to develop 50 lakh kilometers of OFC infrastructure by 2024 in India, as part of PM Gati Shakti Initiative, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is closely working with Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to create smart and digital highways by providing dark-fibre connectivity along the national highways allowing for a direct plug-and-play model for users.

The OFC infrastructure has been designed to cater to increased data volumes till 2050. This initiative will significantly boost 5G roll-out across the nation and improve the ease of doing business in India since the private players shall no longer wait for acquiring clearances for right to way, environmental clearances, etc. Along with 5G,developing OFC infrastructure along the highways shall also aid in providing various value added services including boothless toll collection, surveillance, speed limiting radars and controls, smart highway lighting and connectivity on demand, the Ministry has said.

ADVERTISEMENT
(Published 22 January 2023, 18:38 IST)

Follow us on

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT