Bengaluru: “All 6,092 gram panchayats across Karnataka will be provided 100 mbps broadband internet connectivity by next November”, said Telecom Institute Secretary Aruna Sundar Rajan here on September 15.

“At present 643 villages have WiFi facilty where every user gets 100 mbps free internet connection. In Karnataka, every user uses minimum 700-800 mb per day. There are over 8,000 cities and in 3,000 cities 3G network is available. There is much demand for 4G network. The private data providers have strong competition here in Karnataka. When compared to other states, Karnataka will become the model state in this regard”, she said.

“Around 3800 gram panchayats at present, utilise Bharat Network. Bharat network was started in October 2011 to provide broadband connectivity for over 2.5 lakh gram panchayats. We have received a proposal to connect over 4,000 villages with WiFi through Bharat network.

Karnataka has over 99 percent of optical fibre connectivity and has 93.2 percent demand for fast network. BSNL has plans to provide 20,000 fibre network in rural areas with the help of Bharat network. State government along with telecom industry has decided to connect more than 2,000 villages with WiFi”, she added.