Residents of the Indian state of Kerala received some exciting news this week. A new fiber optic network is bringing the Internet to every home in the state.
For 1.2 million families living below the poverty line, that access will be provided free of charge. Other residents will enjoy “low-cost” access. Pricing for the service has not been announced yet, but the fastest tier will top out at 100Mbps.
Total cost for the Kerala Fiber Optic Network (or KFON) is estimated at around $217 million at today’s exchange rate.
Kerala’s vision for the KFON started taking shape back in the spring of 2017. It’s the result of a joint effort by the Kerala State Electricity Board and Kerala State IT Infrastructure. If everything goes to plan, they hope to complete the rollout by next December.
The announcement this week follows a court ruling in September that declared Internet access an integral part of an individual’s right to education and freedom of speech under the Constitution of India. The court’s opinion also referenced the United Nations’ 2016 declaration that Internet access was a basic human right.
The KFON isn’t the only way Kerala helps its residents stay connected. Work is also underway on a massive public WiFi network which the State says that the network will bring wireless connectivity to more than 30 million people. It will comprised of more than 2,000 hotspots and individuals will enjoy 300MB of free data. Use of government websites and apps won’t count against that cap.
With a population of about 35 million, there are more people in Kerala than every state in the U.S. except California. There’s a significant digital divide stateside, too… but can you imagine how hard it would be for an entire state to do something like this when it’s so difficult for a single city or town to offer connectivity?
Image: Arun Mohan/Wikimedia Commons
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