Andhra Pradesh Will Get High Speed Internet Via Alphabet’s X
The initiative by team X will help connect rural parts of the state with high-speed fibre optics internet.
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X, a subsidiary of Google's parent company Alphabet Inc, will deploy its breakthrough Free Space Optical Communication (FSOC) technology in Andhra Pradesh to provide high-speed wireless internet.
This is claimed to be the first of its kind association in the world to provide wireless internet connection at a higher speed of up to 20Gbps, and to a distance of up to 20 km.
X will initially supply Andhra Pradesh with 2,000 FSOC links. X engineers and experts on site will work together with APFSL personnel, identifying and selecting suitable sites for deployment of the FSOC links.
It will also set up a local office with the help of the Andhra Pradesh government.
The agreement between the state government and X, formerly known as Google X, was signed during Information Technology Minister Nara Lokesh's visit to X office in Mountain View, California.
He said Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board (APEDB) will use X's FSOC links to help bring fast, reliable internet access to more people across the state.
Lokesh said the state government is committed to bring high speed internet and broadband connections to about 12 million households and 1,30,000 enterprises by March 2019.
FSOC will also help to provide high bandwidth to telecom towers (presently on low data rate microwave links) enabling the upgrade from 2G to 3G/4G services. Andhra Pradesh has more than 15,000 towers without fibre connectivity and rely on microwave links to maintain voice and 2G data service.
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