(a) the salient features of the National Telecom Policy alongwith its physical and financial components;
(b) the number of Telecom Circles in the country at present;
(c) whether the Cellular Telephone Service has been introduced;
(d) if so, the total number of Cellular Customers in each of the Telecom Circles in the country;
(e) whether Department of Telecommunications has any proposal to start its own Cellular Mobile Service in all the Telecom Circles; and
(f) if so, the details thereof ?
MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS
(SHRI TAPAN SIKDAR)
(a) The salient features of New Telecom Policy, 1999, interalia, are :
- Provision of affordable and effective communications.
- Creation of modern telecom infrastructure taking into account the convergence of IT, media, telecom and consumer electronics.
- Convert telecom sector into competitive environment
- Provision of universal service to all uncovered areas including the rural areas.
- Provision of high level service capable of meeting the needs of country`s economy.
- Encourage development of telecommunications facilities in remote, hilly and tribal areas of the country.
- Achieve a tele-density of 7 by 2005 and 15 by 2010.
- Increase rural tele-density from the current level of 0.4 to 4 by 2010.
- Provide telecommunication facilities to all villages by 2002.
- Internet access to be provided to all District Headquarters by 2000.
Reliable media to all exchanges by 2002.
NTP` 99 also envisages shifting from fixed license fee regime to revenue sharing for different services like Cellular Mobile, Basic & Radio Paging etc.
(b) The number of Telecom circles in the country - 20 Metro Telecom Districts - 4 (MTNL Delhi, MTNL, Mumbai, Chennai Telephones & Calcutta Telephones)(c) Yes, Sir.
S.No. Licensed service area (Metro City/Telecom Circles) No. of subscribers (March` 2000)
1. Delhi 3,32,330
2. Mumbai 3,19,309
3. Calcutta 90,036
4. Chennai 54,256
5. Maharashtra 1,15,086 6. Gujarat 1,46,175
7 Andhra Pradesh 1,05,469
8. Karnataka 1,27,967
9. Tamil Nadu 90,956 10. Kerala 1,06,560 11. Punjab 94,403 12. Haryana 25,047 13. UP-West 55,950 14. UP-East 1,13,587 15. Rajasthan 20,025 16. Madhya Pradesh 40,544 17. West Bengal 3,978 18. Himachal Pradesh 5048 19. Bihar 21,901 20. Orissa 9,139 21. Assam 5,823 22. North East 722
METROS : 7,95,931 CIRCLES : 10,88,380 All India Total : 18,84,311