Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, questioned the Kerala government regarding its decision to use Chinese-origin optical fiber in the Kerala Fibre Optic Network (KFON) project.

Speaking at a press briefing, Chandrasekhar highlighted India's domestic production capacity of optical fiber and expressed curiosity as to why Kerala opted to import from China. The minister's remarks came during a presentation on India's progress in digitization over the past nine years.

"They didn't require importing from China, and this (optical fibre) is a domestically available product. There are many plants in India that manufacture optical fibre. Why did they need to import from China. What was the pressure? What was the reason?"  The minister said.

According to reports, the Kerala Fibre Optic Network (KFON) project, with an estimated cost of Rs 1611 crore, is a collaborative initiative between the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) and Kerala State IIT Infrastructure Limited. The primary objective of this project is to ensure internet connectivity throughout the state and offer free internet access to families below the poverty line (BPL).

However, according to reports, the usage of Chinese-origin cables or optical fibres in the Kerala Fibre Optic Network (KFON) project has raised concerns regarding a potential violation of Central government regulations. These regulations stipulate that telecom or communication devices classified as "trusted products" must be procured exclusively from "trusted sources."

"We are not against any country nor are we particularly against a source of the product. But there is one framework in the country – a trusted source. It means equipment and its source should be trusted wherever it is from. There is nothing like against one particular country," said the minister.

In the aftermath of the 2020 clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh, the government introduced a national security directive concerning the telecom sector. Under this directive, telecom service providers are required to utilize devices designated as "trusted products" from "trusted sources." The responsibility of determining the trustworthiness of vendors or products has been assigned to the National Cyber Security Coordinator, serving as the designated authority in this regard.

Image source: PTI