TRAI issues Consultation Paper on “Implementation Model for BharatNet”
TRAI issues Consultation Paper on “Implementation Model for BharatNet”
The Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India (TRAI) has today issued a Consultation Paper on “Implementation
Model for BharatNet”
Digital India was conceived by weaving various strands of communication and
information technology for digital empowerment of citizens and delivering
better governance. Establishment of broadband highways forms the first pillar
of Digital India. Therefore, timely commissioning of a reorganized version of
National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) is very imperative. The implementation of
NOFN was not moving as per plans, TRAI had given certain recommendations on
‘Delivering Broadband Quickly: What do we need to do?’ dated 17th April, 2015.
In addition, DoT had appointed an expert Committee which submitted its detailed
report recommending rechristening of the project as BharatNet with three
implementation models.
Some views regarding the implementation have been raised and therefore the
Authority looked into one more possible alternate model
–“Build-Own-Operate-Transfer” (BOOT) model. The Authority has come out with
this Consultation Paper (CP) to discuss issues related to strategies to find
best model of implementation for BharatNet.
The CP raises the following main implementation and policy issues:
· The “Report of the Committee on NOFN” has recommended three models and
risks/advantages associated with these models. What are the other
challenges with these models?
· Whether these three models along with implementation strategy as indicated
in the report would be able to deliver the project within the costs and
time-line as envisaged in the report?
· Whether alternate implementation strategy of BOOT model will be more
suitable (such as cost, execution and quality of construction) for completing
the project in time?
· What are the advantages and challenges associated with the BOOT model?
· What should be the eligibility criteria for the executing agency so that
conflict of interest can be avoided?
· What measures are required to be taken to avoid monopolistic behaviour of
executing agency?
· What terms and conditions should be imposed on the executing agency so that
it provides bandwidth/fibre in fair, transparent and non-discriminatory manner?
· What should be the methodology of funding the project? In case of
VGF, what should be the maximum value of VGF for each State/ service area and
what should be the terms and conditions for making payments?
· What measures should be put in place in case the executing agency earns
windfall profits?
· Whether there is a need to mandate the number of fibres to be offered as a
dark fibre to other operators to ensure more than one operator is available for
providing bandwidth at GP level?
· What measures are required so that broadband services remain affordable to
the public at large?
· The success of BOOT Model depends on participation of private entities
which will encourage competition. What measures should be adopted to ensure
large scale participation by them?
Copy of the full text of the
CP is available on TRAI website:www.trai.gov.in. The written comments on the issues raised in the consultation paper
are invited from the stakeholders by 07thDecember 2015. For any
clarification/information Shri Arvind Kumar, Advisor (NSL), TRAI may be
contacted at Tel. No. +91-11-23220209 Fax No. +91-11—23230056.
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