Lok Sabha Question No. 121 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-11-16
Subject: Internet Penetration
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: JAGDAMBIKA PAL, RABINDRA KUMAR JENA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.121 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16 TH  NOVEMBER, 2016

## INTERNET PENETRATION

121. SHRI JAGDAMBIKA PAL: SHRI RABINDRA KUMAR JENA:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has fixed any annual target to increase the customer base of Internet and broadband users across the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, State-wise, if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) the Internet penetration rates during the last three years, separately in rural and urban areas, State-wise;
- (d) the action taken/planned to bridge gap urban and rural;
- (e) whether  the  internet/broadband  services  are  not  satisfactory  across  the  country particularly in rural and different border areas;
- (f) if  so, the details thereof and the number of complaints received by the BSNL during the each of the last three years and the current year and the steps taken by the Government to  improve  the  broadband  services  in  this  regard,  State  and  operator-wise  and  the  action taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS & MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

(a)&b)  National Telecom Policy-2012 aims to achieve 175 million Broadband connections by the year 2017 and 600 million by the year 2020 in the country. However, there are no annual and state-wise targets for the same.

- (c) Telecom License Service Area wise internet subscriber base with rural urban breakup, as available only for the year 2015 and 2016 with Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)is enclosed as Annexure-I.

(d)to(f) In  order  to  improve  the  internet/broadband  services  and  bridge  the  gap between urban and rural internet/broadband penetration, BharatNet project has been planned by the Government to establish a network infrastructure by connecting all Gram Panchayats (approx.  2.5  lakh)  in  the  country  by  using  an  optimal  mix  of  underground  fibre,  fibre  over power lines, radio and satellite media, for providing broadband connectivity by all categories of service providers on non-discriminatory basis.

The project is planned to be implemented in three phases.  Under first phase of the project, 1 lakh Gram Panchayats (GPs) are to be connected by laying underground OFC by March 2017. Under second phase, connectivity will be provided to remaining 1.5 lakh GPs in the  country  using  an  optimal  mix  of  underground  fibre,  fibre  over  power  lines,  radio  and satellite  media,  by  September,  2018.  Futuristic  network  with  ring  topology  is  to  be  used between districts and blocks and blocks and GPs, targeted to be completed by 2023.

As on 06.11.2016, Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) has been laid to 62,463 Gram Panchayats (GPs) with a total length of 1,43,445 km. Out of these, 12,597 GPs have been provided  with  broadband  connectivity.  State-wise  status  of  NOFN  (BharatNet)  as  on 06.11.2016 is enclosed at Annexure-II.

As per 'The Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicators' report dated 5 th August 2016  and  'Performance  on  Quality  of  Service  of  Wireless  Data  Services'  report  for  the quarter ending June, 2016 issued by TRAI, most of the telecom service providers are meeting most of the quality of service parameters prescribed by TRAI for broadband/data services.

In respect of BSNL, TRAI has received 15, 53, 84 and 33 complaints regarding poor speed  of  broadband/  internet  during  the  year  2013,  2014,  2015  and  2016  (1.1.2016  to 30.06.2016) respectively.

Contd…3/-

## Annexure-I

## Internet Subscriber Base as on 31 st March, 2015 and 31 st March, 2016 (in Millions) (as provided by TRAI)

| Sl. No.   | Telecom Service Area   | 31 st March 2015   | 31 st March 2015   | 31 st March 2015   | 31 st March 2016   | 31 st March 2016   | 31 st March 2016   |
|-----------|------------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
|           |                        | Rural              | Urban              | Total              | Rural              | Urban              | Total              |
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh         | 8.15               | 13.967             | 22.12              | 9.13               | 15.73              | 24.87              |
| 2         | Assam                  | 3.25               | 2.23               | 5.47               | 3.21               | 3.54               | 6.76               |
| 3         | Bihar                  | 7.94               | 8.64               | 16.59              | 8.86               | 10.76              | 19.63              |
| 4         | Delhi                  | 1.01               | 17.49              | 18.50              | 0.93               | 19.66              | 20.59              |
| 5         | Gujarat                | 7.07               | 12.37              | 19.44              | 6.06               | 15.04              | 21.10              |
| 6         | Haryana                | 3.67               | 3.47               | 7.14               | 2.97               | 4.59               | 7.56               |
| 7         | Himachal Pradesh       | 1.64               | 0.94               | 2.59               | 1.76               | 1.28               | 3.02               |
| 8         | Jammu & Kashmir        | 1.79               | 1.56               | 3.35               | 1.83               | 1.79               | 3.65               |
| 9         | Karnataka              | 6.69               | 13.41              | 20.10              | 5.54               | 17.09              | 22.63              |
| 10        | Kerala                 | 6.14               | 6.82               | 12.96              | 5.57               | 9.02               | 14.60              |
| 11        | Kolkata                | 0.42               | 7.59               | 8.01               | 0.55               | 8.72               | 9.26               |
| 12        | Madhya Pradesh         | 6.51               | 10.12              | 16.63              | 6.24               | 14.17              | 20.41              |
| 13        | Maharashtra            | 9.12               | 16.40              | 25.53              | 9.76               | 19.72              | 29.47              |
| 14        | Mumbai                 | 0.25               | 14.25              | 14.50              | 0.28               | 15.37              | 15.65              |
| 15        | North East             | 1.92               | 1.65               | 3.57               | 1.97               | 2.10               | 4.06               |
| 16        | Orissa                 | 3.52               | 3.77               | 7.30               | 3.37               | 4.93               | 8.29               |
| 17        | Punjab                 | 5.23               | 7.65               | 12.88              | 4.71               | 8.75               | 13.46              |
| 18        | Rajasthan              | 7.31               | 8.47               | 15.79              | 7.01               | 10.25              | 17.24              |
| 19        | Tamil Nadu             | 6.52               | 17.62              | 24.14              | 6.86               | 21.16              | 28.01              |
| 20        | UP (East)              | 10.66              | 9.73               | 20.38              | 11.21              | 11.27              | 22.47              |
| 21        | UP (west)              | 6.06               | 8.14               | 14.19              | 6.48               | 10.04              | 16.54              |
| 22        | West Bengal            | 6.88               | 4.31               | 11.19              | 7.64               | 5.75               | 13.38              |
|           | Total                  | 111.76             | 190.60             | 302.35             | 111.94             | 230.71             | 342.65             |

Contd…4/-

Statewise status of NOFN (BharatNet) as on  06.11.2016

| S.No.   | States/ UTs       | No. of Gram Panchayats (GPs)- Phase I   | Pipe laid (kms.)   | Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) laid (in kms)   | No. of GPs where OFC laid   | Connectivity provided (GPs )   |
|---------|-------------------|-----------------------------------------|--------------------|-------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|--------------------------------|
| 1       | Assam             | 1013                                    | 2252               | 2088                                      | 770                         | 243                            |
| 2       | Bihar             | 5202                                    | 8786               | 7615                                      | 2891                        | 333                            |
| 3       | Chhattisgarh      | 2110                                    | 5392               | 5147                                      | 1724                        | 943                            |
| 4.      | Haryana           | 6090                                    | 6257               | 6244                                      | 3871                        | 296                            |
| 5.      | Jammu & Kashmir   | 624                                     | 253                | 240                                       | 118                         | 0                              |
| 6.      | Karnataka         | 5599                                    | 10383              | 10764                                     | 5256                        | 4826                           |
| 7.      | Kerala            | 977                                     | 720                | 826                                       | 1129                        | 1129                           |
| 8.      | Madhya Pradesh    | 10516                                   | 23760              | 21458                                     | 7141                        | 629                            |
| 9.      | Maharashtra       | 12055                                   | 17623              | 15471                                     | 6999                        | 842                            |
| 10.     | Punjab            | 6128                                    | 6471               | 6213                                      | 4290                        | 70                             |
| 11.     | Rajasthan         | 6967                                    | 15980              | 15005                                     | 4834                        | 810                            |
| 12.     | Uttar Pradesh     | 22514                                   | 35083              | 26645                                     | 12406                       | 920                            |
| 13.     | Uttarakhand       | 1767                                    | 2141               | 1857                                      | 1006                        | 216                            |
| 14.     | West Bengal       | 2713                                    | 2641               | 2534                                      | 920                         | 107                            |
| 15.     | Andaman & Nicobar | 69                                      | 0                  | 0                                         | 0                           | 0                              |
| 16.     | Chandigarh        | 12                                      | 18                 | 19                                        | 12                          | 12                             |
| 17.     | Arunachal Pradesh | 256                                     | 693                | 117                                       | 22                          | 0                              |
| 18.     | Nagaland          | 743                                     | 2171               | 818                                       | 194                         | 0                              |
| 19.     | Manipur           | 24                                      | 71                 | 73                                        | 24                          | 26                             |
| 20.     | Mizoram           | 163                                     | 448                | 123                                       | 5                           | 0                              |
| 21.     | Tripura           | 1021                                    | 1560               | 1368                                      | 641                         | 79                             |
| 22.     | Meghalaya         | 651                                     | 1133               | 277                                       | 80                          | 0                              |
| 23.     | Gujarat           | 5771                                    | 7969               | 6308                                      | 2859                        | 320                            |
| 24.     | Puducherry        | 98                                      | 82                 | 92                                        | 98                          | 101                            |
| 25.     | Andhra Pradesh    | 0                                       | 1913               | 21                                        | 0                           | 0                              |
| 26.     | Telangana         | 2097                                    | 4266               | 4043                                      | 1818                        | 127                            |
| 27.     | Odisha            | 3388                                    | 5801               | 4962                                      | 2091                        | 335                            |
| 28.     | Jharkhand         | 1428                                    | 3046               | 2920                                      | 1202                        | 233                            |
| 29.     | Himachal Pradesh  | 283                                     | 288                | 196                                       | 62                          | 0                              |
| 30.     | Goa*              | -                                       | -                  | -                                         | -                           | -                              |
|         | Grand Total       | 1,00,289                                | 1,67,202           | 1,43,445                                  | 62,463                      | 12,597                         |

*All the GPs of Goa are already connected with Optical Fibre.

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