Soon, cellphone towers will be powered by solar energy

The Government is considering use of solar energy to tide over power deficiency impeding installation of mobile phone towers in tribal and hilly areas, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

"We have to solarise the mobile towers," Minister of State of IT and Telecommunication Sachin Pilot said during Question Hour.

He said power shortage in some states was impeding installation of these towers there and added that government was looking at various options, including public private partnership, to make up for the deficiency.

The minister said while 604 towers of BSNL installed in tribal areas of Orissa have already been activated, 46 of 1023 towers in Jharkhand and 107 out of 759 towers in Chhattisgarh are still be be activated.

He assured members that this will be done by June 2011.

Pilot said 98% villages in Jharkhand have already been given rural telephone connections besides some satellite phones.

Replying to a supplementaries about decline in the number of land line telephone connections, Pilot said the phenomenon is due to abundant availability of mobile telephony.

He said telephone density in the country has risen to 66% from a mere 7% in 2004.

The minister acknowledged there are some constraints in installation of mobile towers in the North East because of tough terrain. He said the government has asked BSNL to install towers there as private operators are hesitant to go.