Lok Sabha Question No. 1440 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-07-28
Subject: Telecom Towers in the Villages
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Geeta Kora

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1440 TO BE ANSWERED ON 28 th   JULY, 2021

## TELECOM TOWERS IN THE VILLAGES

## †1440. SHRIMATI GEETA KORA:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of villages in the rural areas of the country where telecommunication towers have  been  set  up  during  each  of  the  last  two  years  and  the  current  year,  State/UT-wise  and telecom company-wise; and
- (b) the number of such towers targeted to be set up in the rural areas in the next financial year, State/UTwise?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) Sir, the total number of villages in the rural areas of the country where telecommunication towers were installed during each of the last two years and the current year, State/UT-wise and telecom company-wise is attached as Annexure-1 .
- (b) Telecom companies explore opportunities to expand their network coverage by installing new towers. The number of mobile towers in India has increased from 4,15,724 (as on 31-122015)  to  6,63,411  (in  22-07-2021).  Expansion  of  mobile  towers  is  dynamic  in  nature  and undertaken by the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) and Infrastructure Providers Category-1 (IP1) based on their CAPEX capacity, techno-commercial assessment and other parameters. Telecom Companies for most of the States/ UTs have expressed their inability to provide their future plan. However,  for  some  of  the  States/  UTs  they  have  provided  number  of  towers  proposed  to  be installed in rural areas in the next financial year which is attached as Annexure-2 .

## TELECOM COMPANY-WISE TOTAL NUMBER OF VILLAGES WHERE TELECOM TOWERS  WERE  INSTALLED  DURING  THE  LAST  TWO  YEARS  AND  THE CURRENT YEAR

| S No   | Name of TSP   | No. of Census inhibited villages where telecom towers were installed   | No. of Census inhibited villages where telecom towers were installed   | No. of Census inhibited villages where telecom towers were installed   |
|--------|---------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| S No   | Name of TSP   | During 2019-20                                                         | During 2020-21                                                         | During 2021-22 till date                                               |
|        | BAL           | NIL                                                                    | 1                                                                      | NIL                                                                    |
|        | BSNL          | 8                                                                      | NIL                                                                    | NIL                                                                    |
|        | RJIL          | NIL                                                                    | NIL                                                                    | 1                                                                      |
|        | VIL           | NIL                                                                    | NIL                                                                    | NIL                                                                    |
|        | BSNL          | 12                                                                     | 12                                                                     | 4                                                                      |
|        | BAL           | 309                                                                    | 463                                                                    | NIL                                                                    |
|        | RJIL          | 594                                                                    | 33                                                                     | 335                                                                    |
|        | VIL           | NIL                                                                    | NIL                                                                    | NIL                                                                    |
|        | BSNL          | NIL                                                                    | NIL                                                                    | NIL                                                                    |
|        | RJIL          | 52                                                                     | NIL                                                                    | 16                                                                     |
|        | BHL           | 275                                                                    | 126                                                                    | 12                                                                     |
|        | VIL           | 12                                                                     | 4                                                                      | NIL                                                                    |
|        | BAL           | 570                                                                    | 468                                                                    | 46                                                                     |
|        | BSNL          | 2                                                                      | NIL                                                                    | 0                                                                      |
|        | RJIL          | 956                                                                    | 821                                                                    | 416                                                                    |
|        | VIL           | 1                                                                      | NIL                                                                    | 0                                                                      |
|        | BAL           | 1091                                                                   | 1284                                                                   | 46                                                                     |
|        | BSNL          | NIL                                                                    | 1                                                                      | NIL                                                                    |
|        | VIL           | 295                                                                    | 4                                                                      | NIL                                                                    |
|        | RJIL          | 2208                                                                   | 1388                                                                   | 156                                                                    |
|        | BAL           | 1                                                                      | 3                                                                      | 1                                                                      |
|        | BSNL          | NIL                                                                    | NIL                                                                    | NIL                                                                    |
|        | RJIL          | NIL                                                                    | NIL                                                                    | NIL                                                                    |
|        | VIL           | NIL                                                                    | 1                                                                      | NIL                                                                    |
|        | BSNL          | 13                                                                     | 2                                                                      | NIL                                                                    |
|        | VIL           | 3                                                                      | NIL                                                                    | NIL                                                                    |
|        | RJIL          | 777                                                                    | 670                                                                    | 100                                                                    |
|        | BAL           | 232                                                                    | 22                                                                     | NIL                                                                    |
|        | BAL           | 1                                                                      | 1                                                                      | 1                                                                      |
|        | VIL           | 2                                                                      | 4                                                                      | 0                                                                      |
|        | BSNL          | NIL                                                                    | NIL                                                                    | 0                                                                      |
|        | RJIL          | 4                                                                      | 1                                                                      | 22                                                                     |
|        | BAL           | 5                                                                      | 2                                                                      | NIL                                                                    |
|        | VIL           | 1                                                                      | NIL                                                                    | NIL                                                                    |
|        | RJIL          | 25                                                                     | 8                                                                      | 3                                                                      |
|        | BSNL          | 8                                                                      | 1                                                                      | NIL                                                                    |
|        | BAL           | 152                                                                    | 279                                                                    | 45                                                                     |
|        | VIL           | 144                                                                    | 209                                                                    | 8                                                                      |
|        | BSNL          | 64                                                                     | 36                                                                     | 1                                                                      |
|        | RJIL          | 1321                                                                   | 1036                                                                   | 1290                                                                   |
|        | RJIL          | 351                                                                    | 374                                                                    | 127                                                                    |
|        | BSNL          | NIL                                                                    | NIL                                                                    | NIL                                                                    |
|        | BAL VIL       | 52                                                                     | 350                                                                    | 63 2                                                                   |
|        | BSNL          | 164 14                                                                 | 105 4                                                                  | NIL                                                                    |

| RJIL     | 489   | 102    | 48      |
|----------|-------|--------|---------|
| VIL      | 10    | 5      | NIL     |
| BAL      | 255   | 416    | 195     |
| BAL      | 103   | 191    | 45      |
| RJIL     | 448   | 193    | 13      |
| BSNL     | NIL   | 3      | NIL     |
| VIL      | 36    | NIL    | NIL     |
| BAL      | 540   | 714    | 21      |
| BSNL     | NIL   | NIL    | NIL     |
| VIL      | 47    | NIL    | NIL     |
| RJIL     | 933   | 948    | 319     |
| RJIL     | 1474  | 656    | 209     |
| BAL      | 1067  | 1066   | 14      |
| VIL      | NIL   | NIL    | NIL     |
| BSNL     | 19    | 6      | 4       |
| BSNL     | 40    | 24     | 4       |
| VIL      | 4     | 27     | 16      |
| RJIL     | 39    | 209    | 92      |
| BAL      | 42    | 374    | 23      |
| BSNL     | 10    | 4      | NIL     |
| VIL      | NIL   | NIL    | NIL     |
| BAL      | 9     | 47     | NIL     |
| RJIL     | 34    | 21     | 17      |
| BAL BSNL | NIL   | NIL    | NIL NIL |
| BAL      | 1 42  | NIL 80 | NIL     |
| BSNL     |       | NIL    | NIL     |
|          | 481   |        |         |
| RJIL     | 1758  | 932    | NIL     |
| VIL      | 46    | 4      | NIL     |
| BAL      | 558   | 349    | 24      |
| VIL      | 14    | 45     | 5       |
| RJIL     | 2120  | 1257   | 361     |
| BSNL     | 532   | 59     | NIL     |
| MTNL     | NIL   | NIL    | NIL     |
| BSNL     | 55    | 14     | NIL     |
| RJIL     | 68    | 4      | 46      |
| BHL      | 401   | 301    | 9       |
| VIL      | 11    | 3      | NIL     |
| BSNL     | NIL   | NIL    | NIL     |
| RJIL     | 230   | 2      | 40      |
| BHL      | 146   | 142    | 4       |
| VIL      | 45    | NIL    | NIL     |
| BSNL     | NIL   | NIL    | NIL     |
| RJIL     | 37    | NIL    | 15      |
| BHL      | 238   | 121    | 7       |
| VIL      | 2     | NIL    | NIL     |
| BSNL     | 30    | 3      | NIL     |
| RJIL     | 76    | 1      | 29      |
| BHL      | 237   | 130    | 10      |
| VIL      | 14    | 2      | NIL     |
| BAL      | 18    | 7      | NIL     |
| VIL      | 24    | 13     | NIL     |
| RJIL     | 11    | 7      | 2       |

|    | BAL   | 687   | 873   | 32   |
|----|-------|-------|-------|------|
|    | BSNL  | 51    | 22    | 5    |
|    | RJIL  | 1256  | 591   | 257  |
| 26 | VIL   | 41    | 5     | NIL  |
|    | BAL   | 1     | 1     | 0    |
|    | BSNL  | NIL   | NIL   | 0    |
|    | RJIL  | 17    | 11    | 1    |
| 27 | VIL   | 5     | 9     | 0    |
|    | BAL   | 152   | 345   | 109  |
|    | BSNL  | NIL   | NIL   | NIL  |
|    | RJIL  | 187   | 1     | NIL  |
| 28 | VIL   | 26    | 120   | 20   |
|    | VIL   | 14    | 15    | NIL  |
|    | BSNL  | NIL   | 7     | 1    |
|    | RJIL  | 1995  | 611   | 195  |
| 29 | BHL   | 901   | 1041  | 105  |
|    | BAL   | 9     | 1     | 1    |
|    | BSNL  | NIL   | NIL   | 0    |
|    | RJIL  | 34    | 17    | 6    |
| 30 | VIL   | NIL   | NIL   | 0    |
|    | BAL   | 166   | 295   | 39   |
|    | VIL   | 347   | 563   | 3    |
|    | BSNL  | 2     | NIL   | 1    |
| 31 | RJIL  | 1491  | 834   | 219  |
|    | BSNL  | 7     | 3     | 1    |
|    | BAL   | 190   | 350   | NIL  |
|    | VIL   | NIL   | NIL   | NIL  |
| 32 | RJIL  | 583   | 40    | 57   |
|    | BSNL  | NIL   | NIL   | NIL  |
|    | RJIL  | 80    | 1     | 47   |
|    | BHL   | 165   | 129   | 38   |
| 33 | VIL   | 6     | NIL   | NIL  |
|    | BAL   | 174   | 728   | 73   |
|    | BSNL  | 6     | 1     | 27   |
|    | RJIL  | 1797  | 1078  | 1121 |
| 34 | VIL   | 587   | 63    | 24   |
|    | VIL   | NIL   | NIL   | NIL  |
|    | RJIL  | 481   | 471   | 69   |
|    | BAL   | 32    | 95    | 9    |
| 35 | BSNL  | 18    | 1     | 1    |
|    | BAL   | 5     | 16    | NIL  |
|    | BSNL  | NIL   | NIL   | NIL  |
|    | RJIL  | 1874  | 252   | 188  |
| 36 | VIL   | NIL   | NIL   | NIL  |

## Legends:

BAL :

Bharti Airtel Limited

BHL :

Bharti Hexacom Limited

BSNL :

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited

MTNL :

Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited

RJIL :

Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited

VIL :

Vodafone Idea Limited

## TELECOM COMPANY-WISE NUMBER OF TOWERS PROPOSED TO BE INSTALLED IN RURAL AREAS IN THE NEXT FINANCIAL YEAR, STATE/ UT-WISE

| S No   | State/UT         | Name of TSPs/Company   |   No. of Census inhibited villages where telecom towers proposed to be installed during next Financial Year |
|--------|------------------|------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1      | Andhra Pradesh   | BSNL                   |                                                                                                          72 |
| 2      | Himachal Pradesh | BAL                    |                                                                                                         130 |
| 3      | Karnataka        | BAL                    |                                                                                                         200 |
| 4      | Kerala           | RJIL                   |                                                                                                         235 |
| 5      | Puducherry       | RJIL                   |                                                                                                          40 |
| 6 7    | Tamil Nadu       | BSNL                   |                                                                                                           4 |
| 6 7    | Tamil Nadu       | RJIL                   |                                                                                                         400 |
|        | Assam            | BSNL                   |                                                                                                          17 |
| 8      | Odisha           | BSNL                   |                                                                                                          45 |

In addition to the above, Government has taken up following schemes to provide mobile/ broadband/internet  services  in  future  by  installation  of  towers  in  rural  and  remote  areas  of  the country with support from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF):

- i. Provision of 4G mobile services by installation of 2,542 towers in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas under Phase-II.
- ii. Provision  of  4G  Mobile  Services  in  uncovered  villages  of  Meghalaya  and  seamless coverage along National Highway by installation of 889 towers.
- iii. Provision  of  4G  Mobile  Services  in  uncovered  villages  of  Arunachal  Pradesh  and  2 Districts of Assam by installation of 1,511 towers:
- iv. Provision of Mobile Services by installation of towers in 225 uncovered villages under the scheme  to  cover  354  uncovered  villages  of  Jammu  &  Kashmir,  Ladakh,  Himachal Pradesh,  Uttar  Pradesh,  Bihar,  Rajasthan,  Gujarat,  Uttarakhand,  Border  area  &  other priority areas.
- v. Provision  of  4G  mobile  connectivity  by  installation  of  462  towers  in  502  uncovered villages  of  Aspirational  Districts  in  four  States  (namely  Uttar  Pradesh,  Bihar,  Madhya Pradesh & Rajasthan).
- vi. Provision of 4G Mobile Coverage by installation of 124 towers in uncovered villages and seamless 4G Mobile coverage of National Highway in Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

## Legends:

BAL :

Bharti Airtel Limited

BSNL :

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited

RJIL :

Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited

**********