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Department of Telecom works on alternative approaches for NOFN

It seeks to crunch implementation time by clubbing NOFN and GUN, while simultaneously enabling Wi-Fi

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In a presentation prepared by the department of telecom (DoT) on 'issues and options' relating to the national optic fibre network (NOFN) project, it has come up with two new approaches wherein it suggests the government could either complete NOFN and then built the government user network (GUN) or club the two to expedite the process.

Under these two approaches, it has given two options which involve disintegrating implementation strategy, undertaking engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) turnkey implementation along with players, club NOFN and GUN implementation and execute NOFN and GUN projects along with enabling Wi-Fi in the interim.

The DoT has said it will examine all the options of the two approaches before seeking the minister's approval for it to be presented before the cabinet.

"It has been decided that the above alternative approaches will be examined in detail by the DoT and after the minister's approval will be put up before the cabinet, if required, for approval," says the DoT document.

The Rs 21,000-crore project, which will connect 2.5 lakh gram panchayats (GPs), was approved by cabinet in October 2011, and has been moving at an extremely slow pace due to inefficient execution and correlation between different executing agencies.

Since it is critical in achieving Digital India dream, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been closely monitoring the project and has advanced its deadline to March 2016, which the DoT feels would be difficult to meet going by its current pace of execution.

The telecom department's first approach calls for handling the project in a disintegrated manner, which will involve centralised procurement and supply of optic fibre cable (OFC) and Gigabit Passive optical network (GPON) by Bharat Broadband Network Ltd (BBNL). It has suggested that the laying of cable could be done by appointed EPC vendors while the job of connecting it to the existing fibre could be undertaken by three central public sector undertakings (CPSUs) – BBNL, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and RailTel.

It, however, fears this approach could face the challenges of highly fragmented implementation responsibilities and accountabilities, coordination between many stakeholders, lack of interest among big players and slow pace of implementation.

In the same approach, the telecom department has offered a second option suggesting that it could be done on a turnkey basis. This, it believes, will attract big players and take care of accountability and reliability issues.

For this, it has recommended the country be split into 6-8 zones, comprising of 3-4 states. It has fixed the implementation time-frame of two years from the time of winning the contract. Under this option of the first approach, DoT has kept the implementation of GUN separate through another bidding process.

To infuse speed into the project, the DoT has clubbed GUN and NOFN, and suggested it be done on turnkey basis in the second approach. It's gone a step further in the second option of this approach by suggesting enabling of Wi-Fi in the interim so that services start flowing within specified period. This option would, however, involve a higher cost.

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