Fibre-optic connections only make up 0.5% of India's broadband network, says FTTH council VP: Report

Internet penetration in India is a major concern and will be for a while. Only 400 million of India’s 1.2 billion strong population is online, after all.

Among the many roadblocks to internet connectivity issues in India is bandwidth and other local issues. Commenting on this state of affairs, FTTH Council Asia-Pacific Vice President Arvind K Mishra pointed out that India’s FTTH (Fibre To The Home) penetration is a mere 0.5 percent. Globally, FTTH penetration is much higher. Countries like Singapore and South Korea boast of FTTH penetration of 95 percent an 82.9 percent, reports The Economic Times.

Mishra told ET that an immediate change in policy is needed to address the issue, especially in the wake of the Modi government’s Digital India initiatives.

FTTH connections are those that use optical fibre to get last-mile connectivity to areas that need it. Since data is transferred over an optical connection rather than a copper one, bandwidth is much higher.

As internet penetration increases, our bandwidth needs will also increase. A higher percentage of FTTH penetration in India means a higher average bandwidth and a more reliable internet connection.

ET reports that the council praised the recent “aggressive” moves by Airtel and Reliance Jio to promote FTTH adoption in the country.

If you’re in the market for an FTTH or high-speed broadband connection, you might want to take a peek at this list of the fastest internet service providers in India to help you pick the right plan.