Kerala CM defends KFON, calls it a success in bridging digital divide

Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday strongly rejected criticism against the Kerala Fibre Optic Network (KFON), the state government's Internet service provider, and said the project has been successful in establishing a comprehensive internet network in the state, and bridging the digital divide.

He rejected the claims of slowness or service deficiency on the part of KFON.

According to Vijayan, KFON has already provided one lakh connections in a short span of time, and aims to provide a total of 2.5 lakh connections by next year.

It has also made a proud achievement of securing a license to provide internet connection anywhere in the country, he said during the question hour in the assembly.

"As many as 14,194 financially backward families have got KFON connections. Besides this, 22 island families and 499 houses in tribal settlements have been provided internet connection under the scheme," Vijayan said.

Quoting figures, the Chief Minister said 199 private institutions and 23,355 government establishments, including the Secretariat, Legislative Assembly and various Collectorates, are using the KFON service.

Replying to a question, he said the state government has directed that KFON be used as the primary internet connection in government institutions where the service is uninterrupted and fast.

A direction has been issued to disconnect other internet services in such state-run establishments.

Noting that internet connections to homes are being provided at a starting speed of 20 MBPS, Vijayan said Rs 299 plus tax is charged for each connection per month.

He said KFON's OTT plans start at Rs 444 per month, which includes access to 23 OTTs, over 350 TV channels and internet speed of 45 MBPS.

"The KFON is successfully providing internet connection in villages and cities alike. It is playing a significant role in formulating a comprehensive internet network in the state," he claimed.

However, UDF legislator N Shamsuddin strongly objected to his claims, saying the initiative, launched in 2017 by spending Rs 1500 crores, had promised to provide free internet connections to 20 lakh families.

However, the government has failed to provide even a 10th of the promised connections after all these years, he alleged.

The MLA cited a news report stating that many state-run offices have requested the government to switch to other service providers due to the lack of speed and interruptions being faced in KFON service.

Rejecting the allegations, Vijayan said it is an area where private service providers are showcasing great competition, and therefore, such campaigns against a government initiative are natural.