Lok Sabha Question No. 540 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-02-05
Subject: Internet Facility in Remote Villages of Maharashtra
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Bharti Pravin Pawar, Sadashiv Kisan Lokhande

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 540 TO BE ANSWERED ON 5 TH  FEBRUARY, 2020

## INTERNET FACILITY IN REMOTE VILLAGES OF MAHARASHTRA

## †540.   DR. BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR: SHRI SADASHIV KISAN LOKHANDE:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there is no internet facility in remote villages of Maharashtra and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor along with the reaction of the Government thereto;
- (b) whether  internet/broadband  speed  is  very  slow  in  remote  areas  where  internet/broadband facility is available;
- (c) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor; and
- (d) the efforts made by the Government to overcome this problem?

## ANSWER

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

(a) Internet  is  currently  being  accessed  mainly  through  mobile  wireless  2G,  3G  and  4G technologies  which  at  present  cover  more  than  95%  of  population  of  the  country.  As  per  data collected from the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) in 2019, it is estimated that out of total 40,959 inhabited villages (as per the Census 2011) in Maharashtra, 37,970 are covered by mobile services.

There  are  36.84  rural  internet  subscribers  per  100  population  in  Maharashtra  as  per  'The Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicators' report of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) dated 8 th January, 2020.  The National Digital Communications Policy-2018 has been notified with strategic objectives which inter-alia includes provisioning of Broadband for all.

(b) & (c) Internet  speed  depends  inter-alia  on  various  parameters  such  as  the  technology deployed, network coverage, number of simultaneous users accessing the internet, connectivity to the website being accessed etc.  The speed of mobile internet is further dependent on a number of factors such  as  distance  from  the  Base  Transceiver  Station  (BTS)  serving  the  customer,  the  number  of simultaneous users being served by the BTS, the traffic handled by the BTS etc.  As such, the mobile users may experience different speed at different locations and time of usage.

- (d) Following initiatives/actions  have  been  taken  by  the  Government  towards  provisioning  and improving internet/broadband services:
- (i) BharatNet  project  is  being  implemented  in  a  phased  manner  to  provide  broadband/internet connectivity  to  all  the  Gram  Panchayats  (GPs)  (approx.  2.5  lakh)  in  the  country,  including Maharashtra.  A  total  of  1,34,248  GPs  have  been  made  Service  Ready  as  on  24.01.2020, including 15,534 in Maharashtra.
- (ii) As part of BharatNet project, the last mile connectivity through Wi-Fi or any other suitable broadband technology to access internet/broadband services is to be provided at all the GPs in the country including Maharashtra.
- (iii)Universal  Service  Obligation  Fund  (USOF)  scheme  for  setting  up  of  25,000  public  Wi-Fi hotspots  including  3800  in  Maharashtra  using  the  infrastructure  of  telephone  exchanges  of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) in rural areas.
- (iv) Under  Left  Wing  Extremist  (LWE)  Phase-II  project,  installation  of  2217  mobile  towers  is planned  for  providing  mobile  connectivity  covering  the  10  States  including  125  towers  in Maharashtra.

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