Lok Sabha Question No. 4553 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-30
Subject: Rollout of 5G
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Manish Tewari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4553 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30 TH  MARCH, 2022

## ROLLOUT OF 5G

## 4553.   SHRI MANISH TEWARI:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Cellular Operators Association of India has demanded that the Government fiberize significantly more towers for effective rollout of 5G and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether connection of mobile towers with optical fibers is needed to handle the massive surge in data that is anticipated with the 5G launch and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether currently only 35% of mobile towers in India are fiberized and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government is planning to rollout 5G by the month of August and if so, the details of the funds earmarked to ensure fiberization of mobile towers by then;
- (e) whether it is a fact that telecom operators have asked for easier payment terms for 5G spectrum and if so, the details thereof;
- (f) whether the Government has taken these demands into consideration and if so, the details thereof; and
- (g) the details of the status of 5G spectrum pricing recommendations expected from TRAI?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (d) The  rollout  of  5G  mobile  services  is  likely  during  year  2022-23  by  Telecom  Service Providers(TSPs).  The  investment  for  rolling  out  of  5G  services  by  the  TSPs  depend  on  their  technocommercial considerations. The status of Base Transceiver Station (BTS) fiberized as on 31.12.2021 is given in Annexure.

(e) to (g) A reference has been sent to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) regarding spectrum auction including regarding reserve price.  Some of the TSPs have represented seeking easier payment terms for 5G spectrum.

## ANNEXURE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4553 FOR 30 TH  MARCH, 2022

## BTS Fiberized as on 31.12.2021

| SN   | State/UT          | Total No. of BTSs   | No. of BTSs fiberized   |   % of BTSs fiberized |
|------|-------------------|---------------------|-------------------------|-----------------------|
| 1    | Andaman &Nicobar  | 702                 | 507                     |                  72.2 |
| 2    | Andhra Pradesh    | 80,214              | 29,469                  |                  36.7 |
| 3    | Arunachal Pradesh | 4,064               | 1,442                   |                  35.5 |
| 4    | Assam             | 53,448              | 17,269                  |                  32.3 |
| 5    | Bihar             | 1,02,938            | 31,055                  |                  30.2 |
| 6    | Chandigarh        | 3,522               | 1,464                   |                  41.6 |
| 7    | Chhattisgarh      | 43,139              | 13,051                  |                  30.3 |
| 8    | D&NH and D&D      | 1,666               | 504                     |                  30.3 |
| 9    | Goa               | 5,435               | 2,010                   |                  37   |
| 10   | Gujarat           | 1,40,066            | 50,244                  |                  35.9 |
| 11   | Haryana           | 77,863              | 25,972                  |                  33.4 |
| 12   | Himachal Pradesh  | 24,365              | 6,447                   |                  26.5 |
| 13   | Jammu &Kashmir    | 33,218              | 13,628                  |                  41   |
| 14   | Jharkhand         | 46,565              | 15,291                  |                  32.8 |
| 15   | Karnataka         | 1,47,420            | 52,084                  |                  35.3 |
| 16   | Kerala            | 92,445              | 30,024                  |                  32.5 |
| 17   | Laddakh           | 1,144               | 637                     |                  55.7 |
| 18   | Lakshadweep       | 64                  | -                       |                   0   |
| 19   | Madhya Pradesh    | 1,18,655            | 40,676                  |                  34.3 |
| 20   | Maharashtra       | 2,40,985            | 82,513                  |                  34.2 |
| 21   | Manipur           | 7,274               | 2,270                   |                  31.2 |
| 22   | Meghalaya         | 6,608               | 2,277                   |                  34.5 |
| 23   | Mizoram           | 3,546               | 1,082                   |                  30.5 |
| 24   | Nagaland          | 5,037               | 1,334                   |                  26.5 |
| 25   | NCT of Delhi      | 67,787              | 25,741                  |                  38   |
| 26   | Odisha            | 70,228              | 23,016                  |                  32.8 |
| 27   | Puducherry        | 2,529               | 1,168                   |                  46.2 |
| 28   | Punjab            | 79,025              | 25,914                  |                  32.8 |
| 29   | Rajasthan         | 1,26,928            | 42,391                  |                  33.4 |
| 30   | Sikkim            | 2,420               | 859                     |                  35.5 |
| 31   | Tamil Nadu        | 1,59,432            | 56,514                  |                  35.4 |
| 32   | Telangana         | 86,051              | 31,499                  |                  36.6 |
| 33   | Tripura           | 7,883               | 2,804                   |                  35.6 |
| 34   | Uttar Pradesh     | 2,89,441            | 85,669                  |                  29.6 |
| 35   | Uttarakhand       | 29,835              | 9,952                   |                  33.4 |
| 36   | West Bengal       | 1,48,593            | 52,552                  |                  35.4 |
|      | TOTAL             | 23,10,535           | 7,90,434                |                  34.2 |

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