Lok Sabha Question No. 1121 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-08
Subject: 4G Network
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Ravindra Kushawaha, Ravi Kishan Shukla

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1121 TO BE ANSWERED ON 8 TH  FEBRUARY, 2023

## 4G NETWORK

## †1121.  SHRI RAVINDRA KUSHWAHA: SHRI RAVI KISHAN:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether a number of districts/villages in the country are deprived of 4G network;
- (b) if so, the details thereof including Uttar Pradesh; and
- (c) the time by which 4G services will be provided to these districts and villages?

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

(a) & (b) As per data received from Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), Department of Telecom's field unit and State Governments as of March '2022, out of 6,44,131 villages (villages are as per data of Registrar General of India as of November 2019) in the country, around 5,98,951 (93%) villages are having 4G mobile network and 45,180 number of villages are not having 4G mobile coverage. In the State of Uttar Pradesh, out of 1,05,531 villages, around 1,05,146 (99.6%) villages are covered with 4G mobile network. The State/UTwise details are attached as Annexure-I .

(c) Government and Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) provide telecommunication connectivity in the country in a phased manner. Government through funding from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) is  implementing various schemes for providing mobile network coverage in all uncovered villages of the country. The major USOF schemes for 4G mobile coverage are as below:

- Saturation of 4G mobile services in uncovered villages across the country. The estimated project cost is Rs. 26,316 Cr.
- Provision  of  4G  mobile  services  in  Left  Wing  Extremism  (LWE)  affected  areas  Phase-II.  The estimated project cost is Rs. 2,211 Cr.
- Upgradation from 2G to 4G mobile technology of all LWE Phase-I sites. The estimated project cost is Rs. 2,425 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. 3,637 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. 7,152 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.

## Annexure referred  to  in  reply  to  part  (a)  to  (b)  of  Lok  Sabha  Unstarred  Question  No.  1121  to  be answered on 08/02/2023 raised by Hon'ble Members of Parliament regarding '4G Network'

State/UT-wise status of 4G coverage in the villages of country (as of March'2022) is as below:

| Sr. No.   | State/UT Name                            | Total no. of Villages as per RGI Data (30-11- 2019)   | No of mobile covered villages with 4G   | Number of villages without 4G coverage   |
|-----------|------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|
| 1         | Andaman &Nicobar Islands                 | 559                                                   | 105                                     | 454                                      |
| 2         | Andhra Pradesh                           | 17328                                                 | 14159                                   | 3169                                     |
| 3         | Arunachal Pradesh                        | 5993                                                  | 2262                                    | 3731                                     |
| 4         | Assam                                    | 26429                                                 | 24223                                   | 2206                                     |
| 5         | Bihar                                    | 44888                                                 | 44575                                   | 313                                      |
| 6         | Chhattisgarh                             | 20072                                                 | 17482                                   | 2590                                     |
| 7         | Chandigarh                               | NA                                                    | NA                                      | NA                                       |
| 8         | Dadra And Nagar Haveli And Daman And Diu | 95                                                    | 62                                      | 33                                       |
| 9         | Goa                                      | 392                                                   | 342                                     | 50                                       |
| 10        | Gujarat                                  | 18425                                                 | 17604                                   | 821                                      |
| 11        | Haryana                                  | 6640                                                  | 6629                                    | 11                                       |
| 12        | Himachal Pradesh                         | 20852                                                 | 18970                                   | 1882                                     |
| 13        | Jammu And Kashmir                        | 6474                                                  | 5643                                    | 831                                      |
| 14        | Jharkhand                                | 32370                                                 | 30050                                   | 2320                                     |
| 15        | Karnataka                                | 29818                                                 | 28634                                   | 1184                                     |
| 16        | Kerala                                   | 1438                                                  | 1358                                    | 80                                       |
| 17        | Ladakh                                   | 243                                                   | 92                                      | 151                                      |
| 18        | Lakshadweep                              | 27                                                    | 10                                      | 17                                       |
| 19        | Madhya Pradesh                           | 55058                                                 | 51818                                   | 3240                                     |
| 20        | Maharashtra                              | 43931                                                 | 40138                                   | 3793                                     |
| 21        | Manipur                                  | 2612                                                  | 2069                                    | 543                                      |
| 22        | Meghalaya                                | 7100                                                  | 4580                                    | 2520                                     |
| 23        | Mizoram                                  | 867                                                   | 618                                     | 249                                      |
| 24        | Nagaland                                 | 1535                                                  | 1073                                    | 462                                      |
| 25        | NCT of Delhi                             | 55                                                    | 55                                      | 0                                        |
| 26        | Odisha                                   | 51176                                                 | 43584                                   | 7592                                     |
| 27        | Puducherry                               | 96                                                    | 95                                      | 1                                        |
| 28        | Punjab                                   | 12534                                                 | 12519                                   | 15                                       |
| 29        | Rajasthan                                | 46077                                                 | 42343                                   | 3734                                     |
| 30        | Sikkim                                   | 461                                                   | 157                                     | 304                                      |
| 31        | Tamil Nadu                               | 16488                                                 | 15916                                   | 572                                      |
| 32        | Telangana                                | 10203                                                 | 9951                                    | 252                                      |
| 33        | Tripura                                  | 937                                                   | 638                                     | 299                                      |
| 34        | Uttar Pradesh                            | 105531                                                | 105146                                  | 385                                      |
| 35        | Uttarakhand                              | 16456                                                 | 15215                                   | 1241                                     |
| 36        | West Bengal                              | 40971                                                 | 40836                                   | 135                                      |
|           | Total                                    | 644131                                                | 598951                                  | 45180                                    |

******