Around 5,000 Kerala schools to get 100 Mbps internet connectivity 

Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE) and BSNL on Wednesday, July 27, joined hands to provide 100 Mbps broadband internet connectivity in high schools, higher secondary schools and vocational higher secondary schools in the state, which will benefit close to 5,000 schools in the state.

The present 8 Mbps FTTH (Fibre to the Home) connections in schools will now be upgraded to 100 Mbps, which is 12.5 times faster, as stated in a report by IANS.  The MoU was signed by K Anvar Sadath, CEO, KITE and CV Vinod, CGM, Kerala Circle, BSNL, in the presence of V Sivankutty, Minister for General Education.

How will it help?

The 100 Mbps broadband internet connectivity would benefit 45,000 classrooms in 4,685 schools included in the Hi-Tech school project, with better Information and Communication Technology (ICT) enabled education. As part of the Hi-Tech school project in 2018, KITE had deployed laptops, projectors, USB speakers and networking in these classes, as per IANS. 

Even though at present Samagra Resource Portal and Sahitham mentoring portal are available in all classrooms in the offline mode, with the availability of 100 Mbps connection in classrooms, all such digital/online systems can now be used more effectively. This would also enable the availability of KITE VICTERS educational channel in all classrooms, as per IANS.

BSNL has agreed to enhance the broadband connection in schools to 100Mbps without any additional cost and adhering to the existing rate of Rs 10,000/- (+GST) through which the earlier 8 Mbps broadband connection was provided. Each school can now use up to 3300 GB data per month as per this plan.

"This step would indeed strengthen the initiatives of the state towards becoming a Knowledge Society," said State Education Minister V Sivankutty, as per IANS.