Business - 6 days ago

Government steps to increase 5G connectivity in the country

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Government of India has undertaken following projects, with funding from Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN), to increase telecommunication connectivity in remote areas :-

Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan (CTDP) for mobile connectivity in the North Eastern Region, Andaman & Nicobar islands and Lakshadweep islands with projects costing over ₹4,050 crore.
Scheme for providing mobile services in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas and Aspirational Districts with projects costing over ₹13,179 crore.
4G Saturation Project for providing 4G mobile services in uncovered villages with projects costing over ₹26,300 crore.
Amended BharatNet project to provide broadband connectivity to the Gram Panchayats (GPs) and villages.

The Government has taken several steps to increase 5G connectivity in the country, including in remote and tribal areas. These initiatives are listed as 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.

Since its launch in October 2022, 4.69 lakhs 5G Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) have been installed across the country which is one of the fastest roll out of 5G mobile services in the world. At present, 5G mobile services are available in 99.6% of the districts in the country. Further, 2.95 lakh 5G BTSs have been set up in the last financial year (2023-24).

This information was given by the Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.