Imagine you are at a beach at dusk. Everything is in silhouettes except for the sun. You can see the sun dissolving into the water. The reflection on the water seems like beautiful brush strokes of a skilled painter. It’s a breathtaking moment. You immediately capture it in your phone. just when you are about to share it on Instragram or with your family or friends, there’s no internet. Half of your excitement is gone at that very moment. This is not a hypothetical situation but a true incident recounted by a tourist who visited Andaman & Nicobar Islands in 2018.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands is undoubtedly one of the most awe-inspiring parts of India. The enchanting beaches, delicious sea food and the exotic experience call out to the tourists and travel enthusiasts. But the poor internet connectivity sometimes could be a total spoilsport for many.
“Forget internet, if you didn’t have a BSNL postpaid connection or an Airtel Prepaid connection back in 2018, say goodbye to communication before landing in Port Blair”, added the Tourist.
There were very few Internet cafes in the island with very poor connectivity charging a whooping amount for per hour.
Although some people might prefer to stay away from the buzzing of their phones while visiting a place, but for others connectivity can be a key point while travelling. Whether it’s for information or emergencies, connectivity is important and this was exactly where the beautiful islands were lacking. Amid a series of chaos, this void was finally filled with a ‘deep’ connection.
The first-ever undersea optical fiber cable project connecting Chennai to Andaman and Nicobar Island was inaugurated on August 10. A submarine communications cable is a cable laid on the sea bed between land-based stations to carry telecommunication signals across stretches of ocean and sea. The inauguration of this historic project was done by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi through video conferencing.
This connectivity would now facilitate numerous opportunities for the union territory. The submarine cables are laid at about 2300 km deep which is not an easy task along with maintaining the quality. Also, this project took off in 2018 and has been completed before the set target.
The service has been initiated in most of the parts of the islands from Chennai to Port Blair, Port Blair to Little Andaman and Port Blair to Swaraj Island. Although the project was finished before the deadline, it didn’t have a smooth sail. But as they say, a smooth sea has never made a sailor, the OFP overcame all the storms, monsoons and even the pandemic on its way.
This project is a boon to tourism in the union territory. Andaman and Nicobar Islands already have a massive number of influx of tourists. With the connectivity, it will be more advantageous.
With the increase in the availability and speed of internet, new sectors like online cab bookings, online food delivery, even real time hotel bookings will become possible in the Andamans. Thus grabbing the attention and interests of more and more domestic as well as foreign tourists.
