PANAJI
BSNL General Manager (GM), Goa Circle, L B Lal, on Tuesday stated that BSNL is working to provide high-speed internet access to all 191 Gram Panchayats across the State under the Bharat Net Project.
He was speaking at a media interaction convened as part of the celebrations of 25 years of BSNL at Goa Sanchar Bhavan, Patto, Panaji.
Elaborating on the project, Lal said the initiative would involve the laying of 1,500 km of optical fibre. “The initiative aims to provide connectivity with a backbone capacity of up to 100 Gbps. Survey work is already underway, with cable-laying expected to commence in October,” he said.
A unique aspect of BSNL Goa’s business model is the engagement of local youth and entrepreneurs as Telecom Infra Providers.
These individuals will assist in extending BSNL’s FTTH services and play a key role in the Bharat Net Project, creating both employment and economic opportunities within Goa’s rural areas, he said.
As part of BSNL’s 4G saturation project, the company is bringing 4G mobile services to the remotest parts of Goa, Lal said.
“Currently, 52 villages have been identified for this initiative. While 30 of these villages already have access to BSNL’s 4G services, the remaining villages are expected to be covered in the next three to four months. Despite the geographical and land allotment challenges, the efforts of various State government departments such as Revenue, IT, Forest, and both the District Collectorates have ensured the success of this project,” he said.
In Goa, BSNL’s impact has been especially notable in the company’s commitment to bridging the digital divide.
As part of its broader vision, BSNL is not only providing mobile and landline services but also fulfilling its social responsibility through initiatives funded by the Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN), the GM said.
Sunita Chari, Internal Financial Advisor, and Deputy General Managers of the company, Varmala Kulkarni, Anand G Kulkarni, A Basavraj, and K C Patel, were present at the event along with other officials.
At an event in Odisha on September 27, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated BSNL’s Swadeshi 4G network and nearly 98,000 mobile 4G towers across the country.
The indigenous 4G network is fully software-driven, cloud-based, with a future-ready design and seamlessly upgradable to 5G. BSNL completed 25 years of service on October 1.
