Kerala will never succumb to pressure against K-FON, development projects: CM Pinarayi Vijayan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday launched the Kerala Fibre Optic Network Ltds (K-FON) OTT services, while asserting that the state government would not succumb to pressure from vested interests trying to block the project or obstruct Keralas wider development initiatives. The government will never bend down to such pressure. K-FON will continue to grow and we will move ahead with our agenda of comprehensive development, he said. The CM noted that K-FON had already achieved one lakh connections in its first year and obtained an ISPA licence, enabling it to provide services across the country. The project has now set a target of 2.5 lakh connections by next year. He said K-FON has provided 1,16,445 connections across Kerala. Of these, 23,163 are in government offices, 3,079 are fibre-to-office links, 75,773 are commercial FTTH connections, and 14,194 are free connections for families facing financial hardship. The network has also leased out 7,000 km of dark fibre and signed agreements with 3,800 local network providers. To make its services affordable, KFON has introduced customer packages starting at Rs 444, the CM said. Pinarayi emphasised that K-FONs reach extends beyond cities into rural and remote areas. While private corporates focus on urban markets, K-FON is committed to digital equity. It is providing internet services in villages, tribal settlements, and even island communities where connectivity has long been a challenge, he said. The CM also highlighted the Connecting the Unconnected initiative, which uses corporate social responsibility funds to deliver free internet to families in tribal regions. Already, 103 families in Kottoor and 396 families in Attappadi have been provided with connections under the programme. He said the governments focus is not just on connectivity but on empowering marginalised communities through digital access. The event was attended by special secretary (electronics & IT) Seeram Sambasiva Rao, K-FON MD Santhosh Babu, Vattiyoorkavu MLA V K Prasanth, senior officials and local residents. The event began with a one-minute tribute to MLA Vazhoor Soman, who passed away earlier in the day.