The department of telecommunications (DoT) will invite bids from private telecom operators for creating 50,000 common service centres across the country. The successful bidders get assistance from the universal service obligation fund (USOF). The common service centres (CSCs) will provide broadband wireless Internet access for e-governance purposes. A common man can visit these centres for accessing land records, education and telemedicine etc.
The CSCs will be part of a larger government project on e-governance, which will be linked to the state-wide area network (SWAN) of state governments, linking all districts and blocks online. Department of information technology (DIT) has taken up this project on a pilot-basis.
A total of 100,000 CSCs have been planned by DIT. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) will set up the balance 50,000. CSCs will provide a minimum download speed of 2 Mbps, the minimum provided by BSNL.
While 50,000 CSCs, to be created by the private telecom service providers, will be up by August 2008, the ones by BSNL are expected to be complete by March.
DoT has finalised the technical specification and identified two spectrum bands in 2.5 Ghz and 3.5 Ghz.
In the first phase, where 5,000 CSCs would be rolled out by BSNL, wireline broadband access would be provided. In the second phase where the bulk of the 50,000 centres would come up, wireless connectivity through WiMAX would be provided.
At a recent review meeting of the project, communications and IT minister A Raja advised BSNL to work in coordination with DIT so that the CSC scheme is implemented with broadband connectivity within the stipulated timeframe. The minister further suggested that BSNL chief general managers should be appraised of the importance of CSC programme and should be advised to adhere to firm timelines for rural broadband connectivity implementation in their respective states in view of urgency, importance and utility of the CSC project.