AP Seeks Reimbursement of ₹635 Crore From Centre

Vijayawada:AP government has requested the union government to facilitate availability of 35 lakh customer premises equipment (CPE) boxes for optimal utilisation of BharatNet infrastructure in the state.

In this regard, AP Infrastructure and Investment secretary S. Suresh Kumar made a detailed presentation to union minister of state for communications Dr. Pemmasani Chandrasekhar and union telecommunications secretary Dr. Neeraj Mittal at a high-level meeting in New Delhi on Saturday.

Suresh Kumar requested the centre to reimburse ₹635 crore spent on IP-Multi Protocol Label Switching technology for BharatNet Phase-ll in the state. He requested the centre to clear pending payment towards the capital expenditure incurred for BharatNet Phase-ll.

The secretary said, “AP State Fibernet Limited (APSFL) has been dedicated to providing affordable, high-speed broadband connectivity across the state, focusing on rural and underserved regions. Since its inception, APSFL has provided connections to over 9.7 lakh households, of which about 5 lakh connections are now active. In addition, 6,200 schools, 1,978 health centres, 11,254 gram panchayats, 5,800 farmers' support centres, 193 telecom towers and 9,104 government institutions are also connected by APSFL."

Suresh Kumar said to fully utilise both the APSFL Phase-I network and BharatNet Phase-ll infrastructure, there is an urgent need for 35 lakh CPE boxes. APSFL will immediately deploy these boxes, thereby enabling optimal utilisation of BharatNet. This model would become a torch-bearer for other states to follow, ensuring rapid expansion of digital connectivity across the nation, he stated

APSFL managing director K. Dinesh Kumar was among those present.