We discuss the following topics in this blog:

1. What Mahanet is all About? Why is it so Special for the Entire Country? and STL?
2. How Does STL Deliver on Such Large and Complex Projects?
3. What Kind of Challenges did you face on the Field and How did you Overcome Them?
4. What is the Common Larger Purpose that Drives you and your Field Team and STL?
5. How will Mahanet Connectivity Improve Lives at the Grassroots?

In addition to these topics, we shall also be answering the following FAQs:

1. What is an Optical Fibre Cable?
2. What is WiFi?

What Mahanet is all About? Why is it so Special for the Entire Country? and STL?

Mahanet is a part of the Digital India program of the Government of India supported by the government of Maharashtra to connect each and every gram panchayat of Maharashtra through an optical fibre cable network and this network will enable all the digital services of the state to reach these citizens. OK, so I mean you know connecting the guess 4000 odd gram panchayats with high-speed broadband you know initiatives like this will help our villages become more connected and more prosperous.

How Does STL Deliver on Such Large and Complex Projects?

Yeah, see you said 4000 village panchayats you said actually 4000 is in one part of Maharashtra that is Vidharbha part. Overall more than 12,000 gram panchayats are getting connected by this program. See what we do through our lead 360 approach is before we hit the field we do detailed planning of the entire canvas and that is where we invest the maximum time and the best technology as well as the inputs that we collect at the time of the survey.

What Kind of Challenges did you face on the Field and How did you Overcome Them?

Now the challenge is that we anticipated before hitting the ground for this project is one of the huge vast projects in terms of fibre densification in such a small area we are working. Just in the Vidarbha area, 20,000 kilometres of fibre needs to be deployed.

What is the Common Larger Purpose that Drives you and your Field Team and STL?

I think the people who work on this project are the best guys whom we have chosen to deliver the best project. But what is important is having the best people doesn’t always result in successful project delivery I think what you rightly said is getting connected to a purpose is larger purpose is something that actually drives the people.

Talk About Some STLers who are Making this Magic Happen on the Ground in the Mahanet Project?

I think there are lots many of them I think each one of them contributes in their unique way it’s distributed across eight large districts of Maharashtra and is the most difficult challenging terrain the heat of that region during summer is one of the hottest places that we see experience in India. But I think the entire 5000 plus people who have worked on this project.

How will Mahanet Connectivity Improve Lives at the Grassroots?

I think I’m sure our lives will change after this COVID-19 crisis the way we work the way we commute the way we interact our entire social interaction almost all the digital services that the government of Maharashtra, as well as the Government of India, has planned to be delivered at their doorsteps.

FAQs

What is an Optical Fibre Cable?

An optical fibre cable is a cable type that has a few to hundreds of optical fibres bundled together within a protective plastic coating. They help carry digital data in the form of light pulses across large distances at faster speeds. For this, they need to be installed or deployed either underground or aerially. Standalone fibres cannot be buried or hanged so fibres are bunched together as cables for the transmission of data.

This is done to protect the fibre from stress, moisture, temperature changes and other externalities. There are three main components of a optical fibre cable, core (It carries the light and is made of pure silicon dioxide (SiO2) with dopants such as germania, phosphorous pentoxide, or alumina to raise the refractive index; Typical glass cores range from as small as 3.7um up to 200um), Cladding (Cladding surrounds the core and has a lower refractive index than the core, it is also made from the same material as the core; 1% refractive index difference is maintained between the core and cladding; Two commonly used diameters are 125µm and 140µm) and Coating (Protective layer that absorbs shocks, physical damage and moisture; The outside diameter of the coating is typically either 250µm or 500µm; Commonly used material for coatings are acrylate,Silicone, carbon, and polyimide).

An optical fibre cable is made up of the following components: Optical fibres – ranging from one to many. Buffer tubes (with different settings), for protection and cushioning of the fibre. Water protection in the tubes – wet or dry. A central strength member (CSM) is the backbone of all cables. Armoured tapes for stranding to bunch the buffer tubes and strength members together. Sheathing or final covering to provide further protection.

The five main reasons that make this technology innovation disruptive are fast communication speed, infinite bandwidth & capacity, low interference, high tensile strength and secure communication. The major usescases of optical fibre cables include intenet connectivity, computer networking, surgery & dentistry, automotive industry, telephony, lighting & decorations, mechanical inspections, cable television, military applications and space.

What is WiFi?

Put simply, WiFi is a technology that uses radio waves to create a wireless network through which devices like mobile phones, computers, printers, etc., connect to the internet. A wireless router is needed to establish a WiFi hotspot that people in its vicinity may use to access internet services. You’re sure to have encountered such a WiFi hotspot in houses, offices, restaurants, etc.

To get a little more technical, WiFi works by enabling a Wireless Local Area Network or WLAN that allows devices connected to it to exchange signals with the internet via a router. The frequencies of these signals are either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz bandwidths. These frequencies are much higher than those transmitted to or by radios, mobile phones, and televisions since WiFi signals need to carry significantly higher amounts of data. The networking standards are variants of 802.11, of which there are several (802.11a, 802.11b, 801.11g, etc.).