BSNL plans 270 towers in Himachal

With their mobile lines getting constantly jammed, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) subscribers in Himachal Pradesh may soon find respite, with BSNL plans installing more towers in the state.

"Currently, there are 122 towers in the state, which can serve 93,000 subscribers, but our subscribers have already crossed the 100,000-mark," said Rajinder Singh, BSNL chief, Himachal Pradesh circle.

"Two hundred and seventy towers will come up in the state, most of them in the next six months," he said.

"The multi-crore project would cater for a 221,000 capacity," he said.

Such an expansion is being done for the first time after BSNL started mobile services in the state some three years ago.

"The existing network in districts will get strengthened with the additional towers because the maximum load will again fall on developed townships as the switch network capacity increases," Singh said.

The idea is to provide connectivity to interior parts of the state including the mountainous tribal belt, which falls in the high altitude zone.

Officials say the entire technical support system, including the installation of towers, will be done by Nokia.

Equipment is expected to reach by the end of the year.

Airtel and BSNL have been running neck and neck (in terms of subscribers), but BSNL of late has been lagging behind because its prepaid cards are not available at most places.

Reliance has also recently launched a huge expansion plan in the state.

Last month, Himachal Pradesh became the first state in the country to have a 10-digit Reliance mobile number called the "93 series", to start all over the country.

The company is currently in the process of expanding its services to 69 towns in the state in the next six months, covering 10 of the 12 districts of the state.