THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government has given the administrative sanction to the K-Fon project that envisages providing free high speed Internet connection to over 20 lakh BPL families in Kerala. The State Cabinet which met here on Wednesday gave the nod for Rs 1548 crore project which will also provide Net connectivity at affordable rate for families which do not belong to the BPL category.

The scheme is being implemented with financial assistance from the KIIFB; the aim of the project is to ensure all citizens have access to Internet. As part of the project, a State-wide optical fibre network will be set up by Kerala State Electricity Board Limited and Kerala State IT Infrastructure Limited to link houses and offices.

A consortium led by Bharat Electronics Limited had won the tender for the project, which is expected to be completed by December 2020.

Licenced Internet service providers and cable TV operators can utilise the optic fibre network to provide services to citizens. The realisation of the project would be a giant leap for new generation technological facilities.

As many as 30,000 government offices and educational institutions would be linked through the high speed network. High quality video conferencing and transport management are other significant advantages. The K-Fon fibre optic network will also link all mobile towers in Kerala, giving an enhanced mobile Internet services.