The Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has entered into a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Prasar Bharati, operating under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, and the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) initiative of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce & Industry. The aim of this collaboration is to expand the reach of affordable and accessible digital services across the country, particularly in rural areas, leveraging the BharatNet infrastructure supported by the USOF.
This MoU underscores the Prime Minister’s vision and steadfast commitment to creating an enabling environment for digital innovation, fostering a truly unique collaboration that integrates connectivity, content, and commerce to empower rural India.
The signing ceremony was graced by the presence of Dr. Neeraj Mittal, Secretary (Telecom); Shri Niraj Verma, Administrator of USOF; Shri T Koshy, Managing Director & CEO of ONDC; Shri A K Jha, Additional Director General, Platforms, Prasar Bharati; and Shri Sunil Kumar Verma, Joint Secretary of DoT.
USOF has played a pivotal role in facilitating high-speed broadband and mobile connections across Gram Panchayats (GPs) and villages nationwide. Through this MoU, Prasar Bharati will provide bundled OTT services, offering linear channels, Live TV, and on-demand content to end consumers, while USOF ensures efficient and high-speed broadband services in rural and remote areas. Prasar Bharati, as the national public service broadcaster with an unparalleled legacy of content, consumer reach, and brand recall, will curate and produce content for its OTT platform. Additionally, ONDC, renowned for its expertise in digital infrastructure, will contribute technical know-how and the necessary framework to enable digital commerce in products and services. This initiative will be expanded to encompass a wider array of services such as education, health, training, credit, insurance, agriculture, and more.
