Lok Sabha Question No. 1006 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-26
Subject: Mobile Towers for Remote Villages
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Hemant Patil

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1006 TO BE ANSWERED ON 26 TH  JULY, 2023

## MOBILE TOWERS FOR REMOTE VILLAGES

## †1006. SHRI HEMANT SRIRAM PATIL:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

(a) whether  mobile  towers  are  still  not  available  in  the  different  remote  villages  across  the country;

(b) if so, the details thereof along with the time by which the vision related to communication revolution in remote villages is likely to be completed;

(c) whether there has been a constant demand since long seeking installation of BSNL mobile towers in different villages of Hingoli and Nanded districts of Maharashtra;

(d) if so, the details thereof;

(e) whether the Government proposes to start 4G services in Hingoli and Nanded districts, if so, the details thereof along with the time by which it is likely to be started; and

(f) the details of the action taken in this regard?

## ANSWER

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

(a) & (b) As  per  data  provided  by  Telecom  Service  Providers  (TSPs),  Department  of Telecommunications field units 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), around 6,05,230 number of villages are having mobile coverage in the country and 38,901 villages are not having mobile coverage. 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 telecom connectivity to all uncovered villages of the country. The major USOF schemes are attached at Annexure-I.

(c) & (d) As such no demand is pending for seeking installation of BSNL mobile towers in different villages of Hingoli and Nanded districts of Maharashtra.

(e) & (f) In Nanded and Hingoli Districts of Maharashtra, out of 2371 (708 Hingoli + 1663 Nanded) Inhabited  villages (as  per  RGI  data  as  of  November  2019),  2290  (705  Hingoli  +  1585 Nanded) villages are covered with mobile connectivity, and out of these villages, 2269 (704 Hingoli + 1565 Nanded) villages have 4G connectivity.

Further, the Union Cabinet on 27.07.2022, has approved 4G Saturation scheme for providing 4G mobile coverage to the remaining villages of the country including the State of Maharashtra. Under 4G saturation project, 66 sites are planned in Nanded district and 8 sites are planned in Hingoli district.

Annexure referred to in reply of part (a) to (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1006 to be answered on 26 th  July, 2023 raised by Hon'ble Member of Parliament regarding 'Mobile Towers For Remote Villages'

Details of schemes/projects to improve the communication network/system in rural and remote areas across the country:

- i. 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.  The estimated project cost is Rs. 26,316 Cr.
- ii. 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.
- iii. Hiring  of  10  Gbps  International  Bandwidth  through  BSNL  for  Internet  Connectivity  to Agartala from BSCCL, Bangladesh via Cox Bazar. Approval has been issued for hiring of additional 10 Gbps International Bandwidth also.
- iv. 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.
- v. Provision of 4G mobile connectivity in 7,287 Aspirational District villages (Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Odisha). The estimated cost for projects is Rs. 6466 Cr.
- vi. Under  LWE  Phase-I  scheme,  2,343  mobile  towers  have  been  installed  in  LWE  areas. Provision for upgradation of LWE Phase-I from 2G to 4G has also been made. The estimated project cost is Rs. 3567 Cr.
- vii. Under LWE Phase-II scheme, 2,542 mobile towers at  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs (MHA) identified locations are approved across the LWE States for provision of 4G mobile services. The estimated project cost is Rs. 2211 Cr.
- viii. Scheme for providing  4G  mobile  connectivity  in  502  uncovered  villages  of  Aspirational Districts in four States, namely, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The estimated project cost is Rs. 686 Cr.
- ix. 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.
- x. Laying of submarine optical fibre cable between Chennai and Andaman & Nicobar Islands for providing connectivity to Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The estimated project cost is Rs. 1224 Cr.
- xi. Submarine  OFC  connectivity  between  Kochi  and  Lakshadweep  Islands.  The  estimated project cost is Rs. 1072 Cr.
- xii. BharatNet project to create network to connect all the Gram Panchayats and villages with broadband  infrastructure.  The  total  funding  of  the  BharatNet  (Phase-I  and  Phase-II), approved by the Cabinet, is Rs 42,068 crores (exclusive of GST, Octroi and local taxes).

*****