Lok Sabha Question No. 13 (STARRED), answered on 2016-11-16
Subject: Wireless in Local Loop
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: SADASHIV KISAN LOKHANDE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.13 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16 TH  NOVEMBER, 2016

## WIRELESS IN LOCAL LOOP

## †*13. SHRI SADASHIV LOKHANDE:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  Wireless  in  Local  Loop  (WLL)  telecom  services  have  been  made available  in  the  rural  areas  in  the  country  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof,  State-wise/ Union Territory-wise;
- (b) whether WLL services are inactive/ malfunctional in many rural areas and if so, the reasons therefor; and
- (c) the steps taken by the Union Government to make the WLL telecom services effective and functional?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) to (c) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

Contd…2/-

## STATEMENT  TO  BE  LAID  ON  THE  TABLE  OF  THE  LOK  SABHA  IN  RESPECT  OF PARTS (a) TO (c) OF LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 13  FOR 16 th  NOVEMBER, 2016 REGARDING 'WIRELESS IN LOCAL LOOP'.

(a) to (c) Madam,  the  Wireless  in  Local  Loop  (WLL)  is  the  use  of  a  wireless communications  link  as  the  "last  mile/  first  mile"  connection  for  delivering  plain  old telephone  service  (POTS).  Various  types  of  WLL  systems  and  technologies  exist across  the  world,  which  include  Global  System  for  Mobile  (GSM)  Systems,  Code Division  Multiple  Access  (CDMA)  Systems,  etc.  In  India,  the  Telecom  Service Providers (TSPs) have been deploying such systems for providing their services in urban as well as rural areas from time to time as per their need. The service providers are  free  to  use  any  technology  for  providing  their  services.  Subject  to  technocommercial feasibility, WLL services being provided by various service providers are as per details annexed ( Annexure I ).

However,  after  proliferation  of  mobile  telephone  services,  the  use  of  such systems has gradually reduced. It is a common phenomenon that with advancement in technology, the old technology systems are gradually replaced due to obsolescence  and  gets  extinct.  The  TSPs  now  prefer  to  provide  mobile  telephone services instead of services using WLL systems.

Contd…3/-

## Annexure I

## List of service providers providing WLL services

|   S.No. | Name of service provider                                                 | Licensed service area where WLL services are being provided                                                                                                 |
|---------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|       1 | Tata Teleservices Ltd.(TTSL)/Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Ltd (TTML). | All India                                                                                                                                                   |
|       2 | Reliance Communication Ltd.(RCOM)                                        | Delhi, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh (West), Uttar Pradesh (East), Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana & Rajasthan |
|       3 | Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL)                                         | All India except Delhi, Mumbai, Bihar, Punjab, UP (West) and Kolkata.                                                                                       |
|       4 | Sistema Shyam Teleservices Ltd.(SSTL)                                    | Rajasthan                                                                                                                                                   |

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