National Broadband Plan- To connect 160 million homes by 2014

The salient features of the TRAI's recommendations on National Broadband Plan are:

• A National Broadband Network will be established, which will be an open access optical fibre  network connecting all habitations with population of 500 and above.
• This Network will be established in two phases.  The first phase covering all cities, urban areas and Gram Panchayats will be completed by the year 2012. Phase II will see the extension of the network of the network to all the habitations having a population more than 500, to be completed by the year 2013.
• In order to establish this broadband network, National Optical Fibre Agency (NOFA) at the national level and State Optical Fibre Agency (SOFA) at the State level would be formed.  NOFA will establish the networks in all the 63 cities covered under Jawahar Lal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNURM). All the SOFAs, under the overall guidance of NOFA will establish the networks and backhaul in the rural areas and in the urban areas other than those cities covered under Jawahar Lal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNURM).
• This network which is estimated to cost about Rs.60000 crore, is proposed to be financed by USO fund and the loan given/guaranteed by Central Government.