New Town mulls to set up localised data centres
Kolkata: With work from home (WFH) phenomenon increasing with every passing day, the need for localised data centres for improving broadband connectivity is fast becoming a necessity.
The West Bengal Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco), in this regard, has engaged an agency to carry out a survey for examining the feasibility of a public data office or a public wifi hotspot in two villages adjoining New Town. The plan is to teach a handful of people some basic applications so that they can earn a livelihood and it can gradually spread among the people.
"This is a part of the CSR initiative on the part of Hidco where we can use good data connectivity in generating employment opportunities for some people. The agency will do a study on the digital assets in these two villages and submit a report so that we can make necessary interventions," said Debashis Sen, Chairman and Managing Director of Hidco.
Sen while addressing ICT 2020 summit said that an agency has already started a survey to identify shadow areas in New Town where internet speed is slow. "In the
new normal amidst COVID-19 pandemic when online classes, online teaching, work from home are gaining popularity high speed broadband or wifi is the need of the hour. We are in discussion with TRAI on how we can boost connectivity in the shadow areas," Sen said.
The recent board meeting has approved that necessary steps that includes fund involvement will be done to address the connectivity issues in these shadow areas.
Sen called for the need of localised data centres to improve the quality of life and said that the state government is actively looking at investment for setting up data centres at the Silicon Valley Hub in New Town. Reliance JIO has already taken 40 acres of land for setting up a state of the art data centre at the Hub and several queries are coming for similar facilities.
"In the new normal post COVID our efforts should be to provide easy technology access to all parts of the society," Sen said.
