The Hindu Business Line : IT Mission network to go on stream in Nov

THE Kerala State Information Technology Mission is in the process of setting up a dedicated State-wide computer network for the Government of Kerala as part of the `State Information Infrastructure' project.

Ms Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary, Information Technology, told Business Line that the IT Mission expects to commission the network by November this year.

Connectivity for the network will be obtained by aggregating the free bandwidth acquired from private telecom companies as part of their `Rights of way' agreement with the State Government, she said. C-DAC Thiruvananthapuram is working on implementing this project.

The network includes a backbone connecting Thiruvananthapuram with Kozhikode, network operating centres in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode, and a data centre in Thiruvananthapuram.

While the first phase of the project will link the major cities in Kerala, all districts in the State will eventually be a part of the network. Funded in part by the Government of India, this project will form an integral part of the State Government's e-governance initiatives, Ms Sundararajan said.

Meanwhile, as part of the Kerala Government's initiative to create an `IT corridor' in the vicinity of Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram, the IT Mission is finalising the acquisition of approximately 100 acres of land, said Ms Sundararajan. This land will be within a two-km radius of the Technopark, she added.

The land acquired will be available for lease for IT companies desirous of setting up their own campuses. Several large IT companies, including Infosys Technologies Ltd, have expressed an interest in creating their own campuses in the vicinity of the Technopark.