Telcos, manufacturers seek ‘fibre fund’ to accelerate deployment

NEW DELHI: Telecom service providers and optic fibre makers are demanding the Narendra Modi-led government to come out with incentives to encourage fibre deployments, a critical telecom infrastructure, ahead of much-anticipated fifth generation or 5G commercial rollout in the country.

“To incentivise operators, the government should draw out incentives so that operators are not challenged to deliver on fiber which is a critical element for India’s digital growth and story,” Reliance Jio president Mathew Oommen told ETT.

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani-controlled Jio is aggressively putting up a robust fibre network as it aims to deliver ambitious fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) service dubbed as JioGigaFiber ahead of its much-awaited shift to 5G.