BSNL’s rural broadband pilot to be extended to 5 lakh homes amid strong demand

New Delhi: The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) plans to extend a pilot project by state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) to provide fibre-to-home (FTTH) broadband connections in rural areas to cover 500,000 households amid strong response from consumers.

The pilot started in October last year was meant to provide wired broadband connections to 100,000 rural households, but nearly 200,000 connections have already been provided under the scheme due to demand, a DoT official said. “We are seeking the approval from DCC (Digital Communications Commission) to expand the project to 500,000 connections.”