IT plan — Hitch Internet to railways’ power lines

NEW DELHI, JUNE 22: By the end of this year, many more Indians in small towns across the country will be hooked on to the Internet if rai...

NEW DELHI, JUNE 22: By the end of this year, many more Indians in small towns across the country will be hooked on to the Internet if railway transmission lines are used to provide Internet access across the country. E-mail, chatlines and Internet surfing will be accessible at the click of the mouse without users going through long waiting periods if the scheme sees it through.

Otherwise, it would have taken years for good Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) to provide Internet access in every small town. But the national Information Technology (IT) task force is keen to increase the number of Internet connections within a short span of time.

Executive Director, Railway Telecommunication network, Akhil Agarwal, told The Indian Express that “talks for implementation of the scheme were in advanced stages and it should not take long before it becomes a reality.”

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The idea is to use existing technology to increase Internet connectivity. If users were to wait for Internet service providers to get ago-ahead from the government to dig around and lay high-speed optic fibres to transmit voice and data, years would pass in just getting the required permission and fulfilling all obligations. Instead, why not use the already available telecommunication network of the railways, asks the IT task force.

Central Vigilance Commissioner and IT task force member, N Vittal, told The Indian Express. “Railways have several kilometres of optic fibre. The Internet service providers can use it to transmit voice and data. This way, Internet service providers do not need to dig new ground and provide underground cables. The railways can also generate revenue by leasing out their network.”

The logic in using railway transmission lines rests on the fact that lines that can transmit power signals can also transmit voice and data. The latter will travel through the lines as pulses.

The railways have already initiated the process by adding to their optic fibre network. Says executive director Aggarwal, “We havefloated tenders for companies to lay 18,000 kilometres of an optic fibre network. This network can be leased out to Internet service providers, if necessary.”

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The railways telecommunication network will connect the user in the small town to the international gateway that VSNL provides. VSNL managing director Veenu Goyal said, “The railway transmission network can go a long way in helping us provide Internet access. For instance, a user in Ranchi can have Internet access through railways transmission lines connecting him to the VSNL network in the Capital.”

However, the problem lies in the fact that railways transmission lines cannot provide individual subscriber connections. Internet service providers will have to take on from there.