The Kerala Fibre Optic Network (K-FON) Internet connections are expected to be available for the general public from July onwards, according to KFON officials. Ever since the commissioning of the first phase of KFON on Monday, a total of 13,723 applications for the connection have been received from the general public, until Wednesday noon through the Ente Kfon mobile application and the kfon.in website. The company also plans to provide Internet services for around 14,000 ration shops, Supplyco outlets and co-operative outlets.
All the monetising plans are aimed at bringing in a steady income for KFON, through which Internet connection is provided free of cost to below poverty line families. The State government would make a budgetary allocation annually for providing Internet services to government offices and schools. The announcement on Monday of tariff rates for fibre connections to the general public had created some buzz as the rates offered were lesser than those being offered by existing providers.
The cheapest connection offers 3,000 Gigabytes of data at 20 Megabits per second for a monthly rate of ₹299 per month, while the same at 30 MBPS speed is available at ₹349 per month. The 100 MBPS connection offering 5,000 GB of data is available at ₹599 per month. The costliest connection is the 250 MBPS connections offering 5,000 GB data at ₹1,249 per month.
“Before providing connections to the general public, we have to empanel last mile network providers. These are smaller local operators who just need to provide the connection from the KFON’s Points of Presence (POPs) or the end points in the KFON network in each area to the respective households. The KFON will remain the service provider. The operators providing last mile connectivity will get an income share of 50-60%. The call for expression of interest for the same will be issued this week,” said KFON MD Santosh Babu.
The KFON is also planning a technology demonstration zone with the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to showcase its capabilities in providing 5G-equivalent speed through its fibre network. These captive 5G-ready zones are targeted at startups and tech companies. The BSNL has already submitted a proposal in this regard.
