A tank of the Indian Army in eastern Ladakh. In a massive boost for the Indian Army, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has green-lighted a Rs 7,796 crore project to establish a secure communication network which would include the deployment of modern optical fibre cable links in forward areas along with the use of satellites and microwave radios, reports Economic Times.
Called "Army Static Switched Communication Network" or ASCON, the project is likely to give a big fillip to the operational capability of the armed forces. The project will be implemented by the public sector undertaking ITI.
ASCON will result in the complete overhaul and upgrade of the military communication systems, marking a shift to internet protocol (IP) / multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) technology. The project would extend the high bandwidth communication to the remote operational areas.
It should also be noted that the project would involve as high as 80 per cent indigenous content, and involve large scale of civil works, laying of the optical fibre cables, tower construction et cetera which would generate employment in remote areas by means of the utilisation of local resources and hiring of manpower.
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