Lok Sabha Question No. 173 (STARRED), answered on 2026-02-11
Subject: BSNL's Initiatives to improve National and International Connectivity
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri Suresh Kumar Kashyap

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 173 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11 TH  FEBRUARY, 2026

## BSNL'S INITIATIVES TO IMPROVE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIVITY

## †*173.  SHRI SURESH KUMAR KASHYAP:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

(a) the major initiatives/investments being driven or supported across the country by the BSNL to improve national and international connectivity and the regulatory/policy support provided by the Government in this regard;

(b) the details of  the communication services (like - Leased lines, VSAT, Internet Backhaul, Enterprise  Data  Services,  etc.)  being  provided  by  BSNL  in  Shimla  Lok  Sabha  Constituency  of Himachal Pradesh at present; and

(c) the additional steps/schemes being proposed or implemented by the Government to ensure better  and  reliable  connectivity  across  the  hilly  and  remote  areas  of  the  Shimla  Lok  Sabha constituency along with the timelines thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION (SHRI JYOTIRADITYA M. SCINDIA)

(a) to (c) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT TO BE LAID ON THE TABLE OF LOK SABHA IN RESPECT OF PARTS (a) to (c) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.173 FOR 11 TH  FEBRUARY, 2026 REGARDING 'BSNL'S INITIATIVES TO IMPROVE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIVITY.'

(a) With  a  view  to  strengthen  BSNL  and  to  make  them  robust,  competitive  and  viable, Government has approved three revival  packages to BSNL amounting  to approx. Rs. 3.22 Lakh crores.  These  packages  cover  capital  infusion,  debt  restructuring,  viability  gap  funding  for  rural telephony,  and  the  provision  of  4G/5G  spectrum,  among  other  measures.  Further,  following initiatives have also been taken to improve national and international connectivity:

-  In  line  with  Atmanirbhar  Bharat  initiative,  BSNL  has  ordered  one  lakh  indigenously developed 4G sites for pan-India deployment; out of these,  97,672  sites are installed  and 95,511 are on air as of 15.01.2026. The sites are 5G upgradable from technology perspective .
-  To enhance the network infrastructure and service quality, BSNL is executing the various schemes of Government such as 4G Saturation Scheme, Border  Out  Post  (BOP)/  Border Intelligence  Post ( BIP ) ,  LWE  Phase-I  upgradation  etc  .The  details  of  these  schemes  are available on https://usof.gov.in.
-  Further, BSNL is a key implementing agency in the BharatNet program, India's largest rural broadband initiative,  which aims  to  connect  all  Gram  Panchayats and  villages  with  highspeed  internet  through  fiber,  satellite,  and  wireless  technologies.  The  program  is  being executed by BSNL for last-mile connectivity and operations.
-  BSNL  has  direct  international  connectivity  with  Saudi  Arabia,  UAE,  Italy,  Singapore, Belgium, UK, USA, Bhutan, Canada and Hongkong to strengthen and support international voice communication services.
- (b) The detail of the services being provided by BSNL in Shimla Lok Sabha Constituency of Himachal Pradesh are, as below:-

| Services                               | Total subscribers   |
|----------------------------------------|---------------------|
| Leased Line &Enterprises Data Services | 1,518               |
| VSAT                                   | 20                  |
| Internet Backhaul                      | 639                 |

(c) In Shimla Lok Sabha constituency, BSNL has commissioned 710 numbers of 4G sites under Phase  IX.2  and  4G  saturation  projects,  to  ensure  better  and  reliable  connectivity  across  the constituency.

Further, Shimla Parliamentary Constituency of Himachal Pradesh comprises Solan, Shimla, and Sirmaur districts, covering a total of 24 development blocks. Out of these, 19 blocks are already connected through Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) media. The Budget for connectivity to the remaining five blocks (Chopal, Nankhari, Kupvi, Shillai and Tirlokdhar) under Amended BharatNet Project has already  been  allotted.  This  would  enable  high  speed  broadband  connectivity  to  all  these  gram panchayats.

In addition to above, BSNL has approved a rehabilitation/replacement/new OFC laying work of approximately 90 km.

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