New Delhi

The Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) joined hands with Prasar Bharati and Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) on Tuesday to extend affordable and accessible digital services to rural areas nationwide.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) aims to pair broadband services with over-the-top (OTT) and e-commerce platforms, leveraging the BharatNet infrastructure supported by USOF.

ONDC, a key player in digital infrastructure, will provide technical expertise and the necessary framework to enable digital commerce in various sectors such as education, health, training, credit, insurance, and agriculture. This expansion underscores ONDC’s commitment to enhancing rural digital access.

USOF’s role has been pivotal in facilitating high-speed broadband and mobile connections across gram panchayats (GPs) and villages. The collaboration will ensure the provision of bundled Prasar Bharati OTT services, including linear channels, Live TV, and on-demand content, to end consumers, while USOF will guarantee efficient and high-speed broadband services in rural and remote regions

Prasar Bharati will curate and generate content for its OTT platform. The partnership, backed by Prime Minister Modi’s steadfast commitment to nurturing a favorable environment for digital innovation, epitomizes a unique synergy of connectivity, content, and commerce aimed at empowering rural India. Established on December 31, 2021, ONDC, an initiative of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce, aims to create a facilitative model that revolutionizes digital commerce, thereby bolstering retail e-commerce penetration in the nation.