US-tech giant Cisco has announced series of initiatives aimed at driving fiber grid, IoT, and smart cities projects in Andhra Pradesh.
Cisco will set up an Internet of Everything (IoE) Innovation Centre in Visakhapatnam to drive regional innovation and will enable partners and startups to build solutions around IoE and engage in rapid prototyping.
In addition to this, Cisco will also invest in an advanced technology center of excellence and research lab in the Institute of Digital Technology (IDT), Tirupati, focused on cyber security, smart city and manufacturing solutions.
These announcement were made during the launch of AP FiberNet in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.
Cisco has collaborated with the Government of Andhra Pradesh to design and implement AP Fiber Net. Under this project, the state government has developed an aerial fiber grid called AP Fiber Net using the existing power line poles at a cost of little over Rs 330 crore. The government proposes to provide a broadband connection at Rs 149 per month for an 15 mbps to all the households in the state.
According to officials, the project is aimed at providing on-demand, affordable broadband connectivity of 2 to 20 Mbps for all households and 1 to 10 Gbps for all institutions by 2018. The network will cover 2,500 locations and is 22,500 km long, reaching 2 million households.
On the Smart Cities front, the American technology company has started deploying technologies for Smart Wi-Fi, Smart Safety & Security, Smart Lighting, Smart Parking, Smart Transports, Smart Bus Stops, Smart Kiosks, Remote Expert for Government Services (REGS) and Smart Educatio in the five km area in the city of Vijaywada. As part of the expansion of this initiative, Cisco said that it will develop new applications and collaborate with the state for its upcoming Smart Cities projects.
As part of the initiative to boost research, Cisco will sponsor and collaborate with Andhra University in Visakhapatnam on a 12-month research program to identify and explore the possibility of developing and customising digital technologies and solutions for rural Andhra Pradesh.
The company has also announced plans for the expansion of Cisco Networking Academy in 70 colleges to train approximately 10,000 new students in the state over next three years. The company will work with the state to integrate NetAcad courses as part of the technical education curriculum.
‘‘Our investment is a commitment to help the state develop an ecosystem of talent, entrepreneurship and innovation to drive growth, generate jobs, diversify the economy and support sustainable growth’’ John Chambers, Executive Chairman, Cisco, said in a statement.