Lok Sabha Question No. 3546 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-03-17
Subject: Lack of BSNLs Network Infrastructure
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Rahul Kaswan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3546 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17 TH  MARCH, 2021

## LACK OF BSNL'S NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE

## †3546. SHRI RAHUL KASWAN:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there exists a serious connectivity problem in various parts of the country due to lack of adequate network infrastructure of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (b) whether the said problem of network connectivity is more severe in Churu and Hanumangarh districts of Rajasthan and if so, the details thereof and the remedial measures taken/being taken by the Government in this regard; and
- (c) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to boost telephone, mobile phone and internet services in the country especially in Rajasthan?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS, EDUCATION AND ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI SANJAY DHOTRE)

(a)& (b) Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) monitors the performance of telecom service  providers  including  Bharat  Sanchar  Nigam  Limited  (BSNL)  against  the  benchmark  for various Quality of Service (QoS) parameters laid down by TRAI by way of QoS regulations issued from time to time.

BSNL  has  informed  that  it  is  meeting  majority  of  the  QoS  parameters  fixed  by  TRAI  for  both Landline and Mobile subscribers in almost all the Circles.

BSNL has also informed that it is progressively increasing its mobile coverage in  rural and urban areas across all its Licensed Service Areas (LSAs) by installing additional mobile Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) under different expansion phases. In the current network expansion phase, BSNL has added 4119 BTSs in its network in Rajasthan LSA.

BSNL has reported that there is no severe connectivity problem in Churu and Hanumangarh districts of Rajasthan.

(c) The  Government  has  taken  up/planned  a  number  of  schemes  with  funding  from  Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) for expansion of telecom services in rural and remote areas of the country:

-  Government  of  India  is  implementing  BharatNet  project  to  provide  broadband/high  speed internet  connectivity  to  all  the  Gram  Panchayats  (GPs)  (approx.  2,50,000)  in  the  country.  In Rajasthan, 8970 GPs (including BHQs) have been made Service Ready.
-  Public Wi-Fi hotspots at the 25,000 rural telephone exchanges/BTSs of BSNL. As of February 2021, a total number of 24,413 Wi-Fi hotspots are installed. In Rajasthan, a total number of 1630 WiFi hotspots are installed.
-  Under the phase-I of scheme for mobile communication services in Left Wing Extremism(LWE)  Affected  Areas,  mobile  services  have  been  provided  in  10  affected  States  by installing 2,343 towers. Under Phase-II, 4G mobile services to be provided at 2,542 locations.
-  Scheme for provision of mobile service in 354 uncovered villages of J&K, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Border areas and other priority areas
-  Scheme for 502 uncovered villages of Aspirational Districts over four States (namely Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh & Rajasthan) for provisioning of 4G based Mobile services.
-  Under Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan for the North-Eastern Region, to provide mobile coverage to 8621 identified uncovered villages, installation of 321 mobile tower sites along National Highways and strengthening of transmission network.
-  Laying of submarine optical fibre  cable  (OFC)  between  Chennai  and  Andaman  &  Nicobar Islands for providing high bandwidth connectivity to Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
-  Submarine OFC connectivity between Mainland India (Kochi) and Lakshadweep Islands.

Further, as per data collected from the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) in 2020, it is estimated that out of  5,97,681  inhabited  villages  (as  per  Census  2011)  in  the  country,  5,72,551  villages  have  mobile coverage. In Rajasthan, 42,323 out of 43,264inhabited villages have mobile coverage. Mobile coverage in the uncovered villages is being provided in phases both by TSPs and the Government.

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