Experience Free High-Speed Internet with KFON’s App Launch on Monday

“The Kerala Government’s KFON Project to Provide Free Internet Faces Challenges, App Launches Monday

The long-awaited Kerala Fiber Optic Network (KFON) project, aimed at offering free internet access to 14,000 families in its first phase, is set to launch on Monday. However, the task ahead appears daunting. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the project at the Legislative Assembly, marking a significant milestone.

The ambitious initiative plans to connect 20 lakh impoverished households in the state with free internet and offer affordable rates to others. Moreover, it seeks to extend internet connectivity to 30,000 government institutions, including schools, hospitals, and offices.

To access the KFON network, users must download the KFON app, available on the Google Play Store and App Store. New customers can register via the app, and the Business Support Centre will soon assist them in connecting with local network providers.

Despite its vision of reaching 20 lakh beneficiaries, the project has scaled down its first-phase target to 14,000 households, with 100 houses per Assembly constituency. Presently, only 1,000 households have received connections out of the 7,000 houses covered by the laid cables. Similarly, infrastructure facilities have been set up in 26,492 out of the 30,000 government offices, with 17,354 offices connected so far.

The KFON project has established a robust IT infrastructure capable of accommodating 40 lakh internet connections with speeds of up to 20 Mbps. Dr Santosh Babu, Managing Director of the Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Limited (KSITIL), expects commercial connections to be available within three months.

The Network Operating Centre, known as the ‘KFON Brain,’ is located at Infopark in Kochi. Each district will have a Point of Presence (PoP), a sub-station of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), connected to the network.

With an investment of Rs 1,500 crore, the KSITIL and KSEB jointly implement the KFON project. Additionally, 2,000 free Wi-Fi spots for public use will be established, along with free or reasonably priced Wi-Fi networks in government offices for service seekers.

To aid in marketing and business development, KFON has partnered with Bangalore-based SRIT as the Managed Service Provider (MSP) on a commission basis.”