Corpn eyes optical fibre cable line to save on internet fee

Presently, the civic body is utilising optic fibre cable facilities provided by telecom companies including BSNL. “Our connection speed is 150 megabytes per second and we spend around Rs 20 lakh for Internet connection alone. A separate optical fibre connection will provide high-speed data connection,” a Chennai Corporation official said.

The official added that the civic body has initiated the project following an announcement made in the State Assembly that stated the optical fibre connection to the Chennai Corporation at an estimated cost of Rs 200 crore.

“However, the civic body will not spend any money on the project as the project will be implemented on PPP (Public Private Partnership) basis. Private service will develop the infrastructure and we will give them rights to use Corporation roads to lay cables. They can earn profit from laying multiple cables and providing connections to their customers. We will get a high-speed Internet connection for free for years,” he explained.

The civic body will float tenders inviting private consultants and telecom companies to prepare DPR and to implement the project respectively. The optical fibre cable will pass through every road and street interlinking civic body offices and CCTV cameras.

Meanwhile, the Chennai Corporation has also proposed to lay ducts to carry telecom cables across streets to prevent frequent digging. “As of now, 27 telecom companies use our lamp posts to carry their cables and we earn around Rs 20 crore per year. Once the duct project materialises, hanging cables issue will be in the past,” another official said.