
Caption:Kerala Fiber Optic Network (KFON) Logo
In a scenario where only 24% of rural households in India have internet access compared to 66% in cities (NSSO), Kerala, a state in India, is rapidly working to bridge the digital divide with its own internet service, the Kerala Fiber Optic Network (KFON). Kerala becomes the first Indian state to have its own internet service, declaring internet access as a basic right. This digital disparity creates a significant ripple effect, even affecting the overall economic growth of the country.
“KFON is an ambitious and far-reaching project designed to provide high-speed internet to all citizens, ensuring that even the most underserved communities can access reliable and affordable internet,” said Dr. Santhosh Babu IAS (Retd.), Principal Secretary & Managing Director, KFON.

Photo Caption: Dr. Santhosh Babu IAS (Retd.), Principal Secretary and Managing Director of KFON
Despite Kerala’s 104% mobile connectivity penetration, a significant number of households, especially in rural areas, still remain unconnected by fiber. Approximately 50 lakh families are yet to gain access to high-speed internet. KFON expects to bridge this digital divide. To date, since its commencement in June 2023, connections have been granted to 23,347 Government offices, 52,463 commercial fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) connections, and 5,236 free connections for the economically weak households, all of which are currently active. In addition, 119 internet leased line connections and 244 SME broadband connections have gone live.
KFON now boasts nearly 75,810 subscribers with its extensive network infrastructure of 31,153 km of optical fiber, 375 Points of Presence (PoPs), and a state-of-the-art Network Operating Center (NOC), and 3,693 local network providers, working under specific agreements.
KFON is gearing up to fulfill its promise of providing complimentary connectivity to 20 lakh economically backward families and subsidized internet for others by leveraging KFON Infrastructure throughout the state. KFON is initially designed with a bandwidth of 100 Gbps for inter-district connectivity, with a capability to scale up to 500 Gbps.
The KFON model has already inspired other states like Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Sikkim, whose delegations have visited Kerala to study its implementation. KFON has also earned international recognition, receiving the “Infrastructure Initiative of the Year” award at the Asian Telecom Awards 2024 in Singapore. “The success story of K-FON has been scripted on a foolproof execution plan right from the project cost in the initial stages to its full-fledged implementation based on a comprehensive stocktaking at every stage”, says Dr. Santhosh Babu.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how digital divides worsens inequality, and this project is showing that they are not inevitable,” the MD of KFON added. In response to this digital poverty, KFON is also actively working on its “Connecting the Unconnected,” a program specifically targeting tribal regions across Kerala. The project is planning to bring internet connectivity to all 4,600 tribal habitations in Kerala within the next year and has already established connections in tribal areas like Kottoor (Trivandrum) and Attappadi (Palakkad).
This ambitious plan, being undertaken in partnership with the Tribal Welfare Department of the Government of Kerala, will be funded entirely through corporate social responsibility (CSR) contributions from companies and institutions, alongside resources from local self-governing bodies, elected representatives, and regional infrastructure development funds.
KFON is calling upon companies to support this transformative mission and improve the lives of Kerala’s tribal communities through digital empowerment. In its initial phase, KFON successfully connected nearly 400 households in tribal hamlets across Kerala, leveraging CSR initiatives, local self-government bodies, and community resources.
Dr. Santhosh Babu further added that the long-term goal is to reshape the future of telecommunications, empower communities, and drive socio-economic development through the use of technology. KFON is now aiming at achieving sustainable operational success through internet leased line, leasing of dark fibre, household commercial connections and connections to the government offices.
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