Lok Sabha Question No. 4183 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-26
Subject: 5G Services in Tamil Nadu
Ministry: COMMUNICATION
Asked by: Shri Malaiyarasan D

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4183 TO BE ANSWERED ON 26 TH  MARCH, 2025

## 5G SERVICES IN TAMIL NADU

## 4183.   SHRI MALAIYARASAN D:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATION be pleased to state:

- (a) the steps taken by the Government to roll out 5G services in the State of Tamil Nadu and the current status of its implementation;
- (b) the number of cities and rural areas in Tamil Nadu  covered under the 5G network so far and the timeline for the complete rollout across the State;
- (c) the challenges encountered in the implementation of 5G services in Tamil Nadu particularly in rural or remote areas and the manner in which the Government is addressing them;
- (d) the total investment made for the 5G infrastructure in Tamil Nadu and the expected economic benefits for the State particularly in terms of employment, innovation and digital inclusion; and
- (e) the  initiatives  being  taken  to  ensure  that  the  benefits  of  5G  services  such  as  high-speed internet,  enhanced  connectivity  and  technological  advancements  are  accessible  to  all  sections  of society including those in underserved and economically disadvantaged areas in Tamil Nadu?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR)

(a) to (c) As on 28 February 2025, Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have installed 35,655 number of 5G Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) in Tamil Nadu. Further, 5G services have been launched in all the districts of Tamil Nadu and 5G BTSs have been installed in 3211 villages in Tamil Nadu.

The challenges, in roll out of 5G services, including spectrum availability and Right of Way (RoW) issues have been addressed by the Government by implementing several initiatives as listed below:-

- i. Auction of spectrum for 5G mobile services.
- ii. Financial reforms to rationalize Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR), Bank Guarantees (BGs) and interest rates.
- iii. Removal of Spectrum Usage Charges for spectrum acquired in auction of 2022 and thereafter.
- iv. Simplification  of  procedure  for  SACFA  (Standing  Advisory  Committee  on  Radio Frequency Allocations) clearance.

- v. Launch  of  PM  GatiShakti  Sanchar  portal  and  RoW  (Right  of  Way)  Rules  to streamline RoW permissions and clearance of installation of telecom infrastructure.
- vi. Time-bound permission for use of street furniture for installation of small cells and telecommunication line.
- vii. Establishment of 5G Test Beds at IIT Madras and seven 5G Use Case Labs in Higher Educational Institutions in Tamil Nadu

TSPs have expanded the 5G services across the country, including in Tamil Nadu, and have gone beyond the minimum rollout obligations, as prescribed in the Notice Inviting Application (NIA) for spectrum auction. Expansion of mobile services beyond these obligations depends on the technocommercial consideration of the TSPs.

(d) & (e) So far, TSPs have approximately invested 22000 crores rupees for the roll out of 5G services in Tamil Nadu. With the availability of high speed mobile network, there has been increased adoption of online banking services, e-commerce, online education as well as online government services  among  the  users  across  all  sections  of  society  including  those  in  underserved  and economically disadvantaged areas in Tamil Nadu. Further, to foster innovation across various socioeconomic sectors, 5G Use Case Labs have been set up at seven Higher Educational Institutions in Tamil Nadu.

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