Telecom connectivity to Andaman & Nicobar is through Satellite only
Q. Which of the following is/are true?
1) Currently the only medium of providing telecom connectivity between Mainland India and Andaman & Nicobar Islands is though satellites.
2) There is Proposal to lay an Optical Fibre Cable from Mainland (Kolkata) to Andaman & Nicobar Islands.- Published on 22 Sep 16a. Only 1
b. Only 2
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2
ANSWER: Only 1
- The Union Cabinet has given its approval for provision of a direct communication link through a dedicated submarine Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) between Mainland (Chennai) and Port Blair & five other islands viz. Little Andaman, Car Nicobar, Havelock, Kamorta and Great Nicobar.
- The approval would equip Andaman & Nicobar Islands (ANI) with appropriate bandwidth and telecom connectivity for implementation of e-Governance initiatives; establishment of enterprises & e-commerce facilities. It will also enable the provision of adequate support to educational institutes for knowledge sharing, availability of job opportunities and fulfil the vision of Digital India.
- Currently the only medium of providing telecom connectivity between Mainland and Andaman & Nicobar Islands is though satellites, but the bandwidth available is limited to 1 Gbps. Satellite bandwidth is very costly and its availability is limited due to which future bandwidth requirement cannot be met solely through it.
- Then, there is an issue of redundancy, that is, no alternate media is available in case of any emergency.
- Lack of bandwidth and telecom connectivity is also hampering socio-economic development of the islands.
