Telangana villages embrace a tech-infused tomorrow

New Indian Express

27-04-2025

HYDERABAD: In the heart of rural Telangana, where fields once whispered only of harvests, a new crop of opportunity is sprouting.
T-Fiber, the state's visionary broadband initiative, is turning cathode-ray tube TVs into portals of possibility, stitching villages into a high-speed digital tapestry. With over 43,000 km of underground cable, enough to circle the globe, the project is rewiring futures: 8,890 gram panchayats now hum with connectivity, classrooms morph into virtual hubs and bulb-mounted CCTVs guard communities.
This isn't just internet access; it's a revolution where farmers video-call agronomists, students Google Classroom their way to equality and grandmothers stream Telugu dramas in HD. Telangana's villages aren't catching up, they're leaping ahead.
One of the defining goals of T-Fiber was to ensure that no one is left behind. Even an old cathode ray tube (CRT) television set in a village home can be converted into a computer, becoming a gateway for education, communication and government services. By transforming basic infrastructure into smart infrastructure, the project aims to unlock new opportunities across rural areas.
Over 8,890 gram panchayats are now service-ready, with infrastructure in place and high-speed internet prepared for deployment. In total, the project aims to bring broadband connectivity to over four crore people, spanning all 10 zones in 33 districts, 589 mandals, 12,769 gram panchayats and 93 lakh households — making it one of the most ambitious public digital infrastructure projects in the country. The backbone of this effort is more than 43,000 kilometres of underground cable — a length that surpasses the circumference of the Earth.
To validate and fine-tune its service delivery, T-Fiber has undertaken a proof of concept (PoC) across four villages — Adavi Srirampur in Peddapalli district, Maddur in Narayanpet, Sangupet in Sangareddy and Hajipalle in Rangareddy. Through this trial, around 4,000 households were connected and services like broadband internet, IPTV (with Free-to-Air and HD Telugu channels), virtual desktops (allowing a TV to function as a computer), government-to-government (G2G) and government-to-citizen (G2C) services and Voice over IP (VoIP) communication were delivered.
It is learnt that proposals are underway to integrate Google Classroom with government school networks, ensuring that students in rural areas have access to the same digital learning environments as their urban counterparts.
Affordability a major focus point: Official
Speaking to TNIE, T-Fiber Grid Managing Director Venu Prasad Panneeru says the learnings from the PoC have been invaluable in refining the service model. 'We are now service-ready and preparing for a phased launch across the entire state. Our focus is on enhancing rural connectivity without disturbing the existing cable operator ecosystem,' he says.
He further explains that instead of replacing local cable services, T-Fiber is collaborating with them, having already received over 1,000 partnership applications. 'The competitors were hesitant to invest in rural Telangana due to the high infrastructure costs. By partnering with local operators, we are ensuring that internet packages remain affordable and comparable to cable TV prices,' he adds.
T-Fiber has already connected several key government departments — including Agriculture, Social Welfare and Panchayat Raj — and has set a target of linking 30,000 government institutions by the end of the 2025-26 financial year. As these connections expand, so too will access to e-governance services, ensuring faster, more transparent public service delivery even in the remotest corners of the state.
Surveillance as a Service,the new SaaS
In an innovative move to bolster rural security, T-Fiber is piloting a 'Surveillance as a Service' project. As part of the pilot, villages like Hajipalle are being equipped with CCTV cameras that can be installed into ordinary bulb holders. At an affordable cost, these cameras are expected to act as a deterrent to crime, assist police investigations and make rural communities safer and more secure.
List of services
Broadband Internet
Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) - Free-To-Air (FTA) + HD Telugu Channels
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) - TV as a computer
G2G & G2C services
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
Pilot project in 4 villages
Adavi Srirampur (Peddapalli)
Maddur (Narayanpet)
Sangupet (Sangareddy)
Hajipalle (Rangareddy)