NHAI to lay down above 10,000 Km of optic fibre infrastructure nationwide

Around 1,367 Km of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and 512 Km of the Hyderabad-Bangalore corridor have been designated as pilot routes for the development of the Digital Highway as a part of the project.

The state-owned National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is striving to establish nearly 10,000 kilometeres of Optic Fibre Cables(OFC) infrastructure throughout the nation by Fiscal Year 2024-25, according to a formal declaration.

The NHAI has made a plan of action to lay out over 10,000 km of optic fibre cable infrastructure nationwide with the help of NHAI's retained National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML), a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of NHAI will carry out the estimate. It will build integrated utility corridors alongside National Highways for the construction of OFC infrastructure.

According to the official announcement, National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML), a fully-owned special purpose vehicle of NHAI, will implement the network of "digital highways" by developing integrated utility corridors along the national highways to develop OFC infrastructure.

Around 1,367 Km of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and 512 Km of the Hyderabad-Bangalore corridor have been designated as pilot routes for the development of the Digital Highway as a part of the project.

New inauguration is also anticipated to aid the 5G and 6G rollouts. A three-meter-wide dedicated utility corridor used to lay optical fibre cables is part of the 246 Km long Delhi-Dausa-Lalsot portion of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, which was recently opened.

Direct plug-and-play or "Fiber-on-demand" models for telecom and internet services will be possible thanks to the OFC network. Using a web portal, the network will be made available to qualified users under a Fixed Price Allocation process on a "Open for Everyone" basis. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the TRAI have been consulted on the development of the OFC allotment policy (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India).

The establishment of Digital Highways is anticipated to boost economic expansion and development while also assisting in the nation's digital transformation. Work on OFC laying along the national highways has already started and is expected to be finished in about a year. The announcement stated that creation of "digital highways" will not only have a catalytic impact on the growth and development but also contribute to the digital transformation of the country.