Union Cabinet approves Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan for North-East

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday gave its approval for implementing a Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan for the North-Eastern Region (NER).

The proposal entails an estimated expenditure of Rs 5,336.18 crore. The plan will be funded from the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF). The USOF would fund Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) and Operational Expenditure (OPEX) net of revenue for a period of five years.

The project will also increase the reliability of District and State Headquarters connectivity by providing alternative optical fibre connectivity. It will also ensure that notwithstanding any problem in one route, the voice and data transfer through other route will keep the district and State headquarters connected.

This project is aimed to cover the uncovered villages in the North-Eastern Region as also to keep seamless connectivity on national highways in this region.

At present, there are 43,200 villages in this region out of which 9,190 are unconnected to any mobile network. This project will cover out of the 9,190 unconnected villages, 8,621 villages by 6,673 towers. The project will also give seamless connectivity to national highways through 321 mobile towers.

Therefore the project will provide 2G mobile coverage in identified uncovered areas of the NER, 2G seamless mobile coverage along National Highways in the NER, and will also ensure reliability and redundancy in the transmission network at State capitals and district headquarters in the NER.