(a) the number of mobile towers installation target across the country vis-a-vis mobile towers actually installed under National Broadband Mission;
(b) the reasons for very slow progress in installation of mobile towers especially in cities and towns;
(c) the time by which the broadband access is likely to be provided to all the villages across the country, particularly in the States of Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Jharkhand?
MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS
(SHRI DEVUSINH CHAUHAN)
(a) Under National Broadband Mission (NBM), against the cumulative number of 8 lakh Telecom Towers to be installed till the current financial year, around 6.9 lakh Telecom Towers have been installed cumulatively by stakeholders.
(b) Telecom Services Providers (TSPs) install towers as per their techno-commercial viability and to fulfil the rollout obligation criteria as per their License Conditions. Mobile Towers are also installed in rural and remote areas under Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) schemes as per requirement. Multiple factors such as, non-availability of suitable places, transportation difficulties and various procedural formalities from local administration/ agencies in getting permission for installations of Towers, are some of common reasons of slow progress of installations of Mobile Towers especially in cities and towns.
(c) Broadband access is provided in the country through mobile wireless 3G/4G technologies and fixed wireline connections by Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) in a phased manner. As per data provided by TSPs and field units of Department of Telecommunications as on December 2020, it is estimated that out of 5,97,618 inhabited census villages (as per Census 2011) in the country, a total number of 5,58,537 villages have been connected with mobile broadband through 3G/4G mobile technologies. Also, the status of broadband connectivity through 3G/4G mobile technologies in the inhabited census villages (as per Census-2011) in the states of Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Jharkhand is attached as Annexure-I.