(a) whether several districts and vast areas of Assam and other North-eastern States are so far devoid of Mobile phone connectivity;
(b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor; and
(c) the steps taken to provide such connectivity so far?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY(SHRI ASHOK PRADHAN)
(a) Yes, Sir.
(b)&(c): Licences for providing cellular Mobile Telephone Service (CMTS) in North East and Assam Telecom Circle
Service Areas which cover the North Eastern Region have been granted to M/s Reliance Telecom(P) Limited and Bharat
Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL); CMTS Licence has also been granted to M/s Hexacom India Limited for North East Telecom
Circle Service Area. CMTS is being presently provided by M/s Reliance Telecom (P)Limited in Shillong and Guwahati.
Other operators have yet to start the service in these Areas. Expansion as well as fresh start of CMTS was stopped for
some time in the North Eastern Region on security considerations. The said ban has since been lifted and Operators have
accordingly been intimated by a Government Order dated 21.08.2002. BSNL have made plans for providing a total of 95,350
CMTS connections in these two Service Areas. Expansion of CMTS in these two Service Areas is expected after clearance of
Radio Transmission sites of Licensees from SACFA Standing Advisory Committee on Frequency Allocation) angle.