The government announced that as soon as the third generation spectrum is allocated, it will connect 5,000 blocks through wireless broadband.

The Department of Telecom (DoT), said it through a statement that the connecting of 5,000 blocks will be done with the help from DoT’s Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), after the spectrum is allocated through an auction by the end of this year.

The USOF, which promotes rural telephony, gets five percent of private players’ earnings as a support. DoT also confirmed about the village to be coonected, which comes in 10 km radius of the block headquarters.

Through the initiation of this step, schools, public health centres, village panchayats and the community service centres (CSCs), which aim at providing e-governance and data services to rural areas would get an advantage.

Presently, broadband services are being provided to 1,000 blocks out of 6,000 in the nation by state-run telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL).

In the same way, BSNL broadband covers nearly 50,000 CSCs out of the proposed 100,000. Under its new initiative, DoT looks forward to cover remaining blocks and all CSCs.

The statement issued by DoT also informed that it will support wire line broadband by USOF wherever feasible.

In order to meet the wireless broadband plan and to formalize the tender procedures, specifications and deliverable formulation, and benchmarks, the Govt. held a meeting with technology providers, telecom operators and Internet service providers, to have a discussion regarding all these requirements.