Lok Sabha Question No. 2523 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-16
Subject: Poor Mobile Network
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Sunil Kumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2523 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16 TH  MARCH, 2022

## POOR MOBILE NETWORK

## †2523. SHRI SUNIL KUMAR:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the State-wise details of poor mobile network in the country;
- (b) the steps taken by the Government to streamline the mobile network in forest areas;
- (c) whether the concrete steps have been taken to solve the network problem in the forest area of Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha constituency;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) As per data provided by Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) and field units of Department of Telecommunications (DoT) as on December 2020, it is estimated that about 5,72,551 villages out  of  5,97,618  inhabited  census  villages  (as  per  Census  -  2011)  of  the  country  have  mobile network  coverage  and  25,067  inhabited  villages  do  not  have  mobile  network  coverage.  State/ Union Territory -wise details are given at Annexure-I.
- (b) The Government through various schemes/projects under Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) is providing telecommunication services in uncovered inhabited villages including inhabited  villages  in  forest  areas  of  the  country  in  a  phased  manner.  Further,  Department  of Telecommunications regularly takes up clearance of pending Right of Way (RoW) applications with various Ministries, including Ministry of Environment & Forests, and State Governments.
- (c) & (d) Five Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) have been commissioned from December2020 to January-2021, under USOF schemes to provide 4G coverage in eight villages namely Sitalbari, Rupwaliya, Gardi, Bairiya, Kalan, Barwa Dih, Majurha & Naurangia of Ramnagar Block in West Champaran District of Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha constituency. Moreover, TSPs install mobile towers and BTSs to improve coverage and capacity of their networks based on their technocommercial requirements from time to time.
- (e) Does not arise in view of above.

Annexure referred to in reply of para (a) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2523 to be answered on 16 th  March, 2022 raised by Hon'ble Member of Parliament Shri Sunil Kumar, regarding 'Poor Mobile Network'.

State/Union Territory - wise list of number of inhabited villages without mobile connectivity

| S. No.   | State/Union Territory    |   No. of inhabited villages as per Census 2011 without mobile connectivity |
|----------|--------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1        | Andaman &Nicobar Islands |                                                                        151 |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh           |                                                                       1787 |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh        |                                                                       2223 |
| 4        | Assam                    |                                                                        616 |
| 5        | Bihar                    |                                                                        245 |
| 6        | Chhattisgarh             |                                                                       1847 |
| 7        | Goa                      |                                                                         28 |
| 8        | Gujarat                  |                                                                        512 |
| 9        | Himachal Pradesh         |                                                                        383 |
| 10       | Jammu &Kashmir           |                                                                        154 |
| 11       | Jharkhand                |                                                                       1144 |
| 12       | Karnataka                |                                                                        441 |
| 13       | Ladakh                   |                                                                         64 |
| 14       | Lakshadweep              |                                                                          1 |
| 15       | Madhya Pradesh           |                                                                       2612 |
| 16       | Maharashtra              |                                                                       2328 |
| 17       | Manipur                  |                                                                        463 |
| 18       | Meghalaya                |                                                                       1674 |
| 19       | Mizoram                  |                                                                        206 |
| 20       | Nagaland                 |                                                                        144 |
| 21       | Odisha                   |                                                                       6099 |
| 22       | Rajasthan                |                                                                        941 |
| 23       | Sikkim                   |                                                                         10 |
| 24       | Tamil Nadu               |                                                                         49 |
| 25       | Telangana                |                                                                        153 |
| 26       | Tripura                  |                                                                         31 |
| 27       | Uttar Pradesh            |                                                                        327 |
| 28       | Uttarakhand              |                                                                        426 |
| 29       | West Bengal              |                                                                          8 |
|          | Total                    |                                                                      25067 |

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