Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, the state-owned telecom operator, will launch WiFi-based Fiber broadband connections in Kerala tomorrow, starting with the Kochi business area.
This will be the first time that BSNL is offering last-mile connectivity over Wifi under its fiber broadband service.
So far, BSNL has been giving fiber broadband connections only in those locations where it is possible for the company to bring the cable right into the customer’s premises.
As such, most of the FTTH connections of BSNL so far have been given in high-rise buildings, including flats and commercial complexes.
This is also a costly exercise for the company has it has to not only take the fiber inside the home, but also install fiber modems in customer premises.
By using high-power WiFi devices, the company plans to overcome this difficulty.
The WiFi devices, under BSNL Air Fiber branding, are likely to be placed on the street itself in case of regular residences, and in common areas in case of high-rise buildings.
Kerala, BSNL’s most profitable service area, has been one of the first to see extensive launch of fiber broadband services in the country.
Fiber services are available in over 200 towns and cities of the state, including Kochi, Thrissur, Kollam, Kannur and Thiruvananthapuram.
The company is giving certain discounts to Kerala customers under its FTTH service.
For example, the 50 Mbps plan with a fair usage cap of 500 GB is priced at Rs 777 plus tax in Kerala, while it is priced at Rs 949 in other parts of the country.
In comparison, Reliance Jio’s 400 GB plan is priced at Rs 849 plus tax.
In addition, BSNL also offers a promotional plan under which a user gets unlimited data at 1 Mbps for just Rs 100 per month. However, this plan is available only to those who are existing landline or DSL customers of BSNL, and not to existing FTTH customers.
The plan also includes 1 GB of higher-speed data (4 Mbps) per day.