Lok Sabha Question No. 3537 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-22
Subject: Uninterrupted Mobile and Internet Services
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shiromani Ram

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3537 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22 ND  MARCH, 2023

## UNINTERRUPTED MOBILE AND INTERNET SERVICES

## †3537. SHRI RAMSHIROMANI VERMA:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the efforts made/being made by the Government to restore uninterrupted mobile and internet services along with other telecommunications services in the remote and rural areas of the Country;
- (b) the details of the areas with poor telecom services in Uttar Pradesh and the reaction of the Government thereto;
- (c) the details of the steps taken by the Government for improvement in above condition in such areas;
- (d) whether  the  Government  plans  to  install  mobile  towers,  lay  internet  cables  at  different locations  according  to  the  demand  and  requirements  of  mobile  and  internet  facility  in  Shravasti constituency; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof, place-wise ?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS (SHRI DEVUSINH CHAUHAN)

(a) to (e) As per data provided by Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), Department of Telecom field units and State Governments as of March 2022, in the State of Uttar Pradesh out of 1,05,531 villages, 1,05,257 villages are covered with mobile network coverage with 1,05,156 villages having 3G or 4G coverage and 101 villages with 2G mobile coverage.

In the Shravasti constituency, in Balrampur District, out of 1,016 villages, 992 villages are covered with mobile network coverage and in Shravasti District, out of 536 villages, 531 villages are covered with mobile network coverage.

Mobile and Internet services are being provided in a phased manner by the Government and Telecom Services Provider (TSPs) in the uncovered villages of the country including the State of Uttar Pradesh and Shravasti constituency. For expansion of mobile and internet services in rural and remote  areas  of  the  country,  a  number  of  schemes  are  being  implemented  by  Government  with funding from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF). The details of the schemes are attached as Annexure-I .

## Annexure-I

Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) to (c) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3537 to be  answered  on  22 nd   March  2023  raised  by  Hon'ble  Member  of  Parliament  regarding 'Uninterrupted Mobile and Internet Services'

Details of schemes/projects to improve the telecommunication connectivity in rural, tribal and LWE affected areas across the country:

-  USOF 4G Saturation Scheme to cover 24,680 uncovered villages with 4G and 6,279 villages having 2G/3G connectivity are to be upgraded to 4G.
-  Provision of 4G mobile services in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas Phase-II. The estimated project cost is Rs. 2211 Cr.
-  Provision of 4G  Mobile  Services in North Eastern Region  of the country under Comprehensive Telecom Development Program for NER. The estimated cost for schemes is Rs. 3637 Cr.
-  Provision of 4G mobile connectivity in 7,287 Aspirational District villages (Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Odisha). And, provision of  4G mobile connectivity in 502 uncovered villages of Aspirational Districts in four States (namely Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh & Rajasthan).  The estimated cost for projects is Rs. 7152 Cr.
-  Provision of 4G mobile connectivity in 354 uncovered villages of J&K, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Border area & other priority areas. The estimated project cost is Rs. 337 Cr.
-  Provision  of  4G  Mobile  Coverage  in  85  uncovered  Villages  and  seamless  4G  Mobile coverage of NH223 in Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The estimated project cost is Rs. 130 Cr.
-  Laying of submarine optical fibre cable between Chennai and Andaman & Nicobar Islands for providing connectivity to Andaman & Nicobar Islands;
-  Submarine OFC connectivity between Kochi and Lakshadweep Islands
-  BharatNet project to create network to connect all the Gram Panchayats and villages with broadband infrastructure.
-  Scheme for providing 4G mobile connectivity in 502 uncovered villages of Aspirational Districts in four States, namely, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan;

*****