The telecom department plans to take mobile
network by December 2016 to nearly 10 per cent of Indian villages that are
still unconnected, to make the government's ambitious Digital India programme
more pervasive. Of the 6,00,000 villages in the country, about 55,000 are still
awaiting mobile connectivity.
These villages fall primarily under the red corridor — a vast swathe affected by left-wing extremism — and in the Northeast.
These villages fall primarily under the red corridor — a vast swathe affected by left-wing extremism — and in the Northeast.
Under the Rs 1.13 lakh crore mega Digital India
initiative, the government aims to connect every nook and corner of the country
with broadband Internet, and deliver services electronically through mobile
phones. The TRAI had earlier in a study revealed major network gaps in the
northeast region. Arunachal Pradesh had the highest coverage gap at nearly 56
per cent, followed by Meghalaya with 38 per cent, Mizoram with 32 per cent and
Manipur 24 per cent.
In September this year, the Cabinet had approved spending of Rs 5,300 crore to install 6,673 telecom towers across 8,621 villages, primarily boosting telecom network along national highways in the Northeast.
In September this year, the Cabinet had approved spending of Rs 5,300 crore to install 6,673 telecom towers across 8,621 villages, primarily boosting telecom network along national highways in the Northeast.
"The department is setting up telecom towers
in Northeast with a pecuniary budget of Rs 5,300 crore and additionally
deploying 2,199 towers in left wing extremism affected areas. Setting up mobile
phone network in the Naxal-affected regions is one of the long-pending demands
of the home ministry, which has recently asked the telecom department to
fasttrack deployment. The work would be completed by the end of September 2015
as per recent news.
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