'Steps being taken to provide reliable telecom service in NE'

The Centre is committed to provide reliable and quality telecommunication service to all areas in the North-East, and is working on a comprehensive plan to extend reach of telecom services to all corners of the region in a time-bound manner, a senior official has said.
Union Telecommunications Secretary M F Farooqui, speaking at a meeting here with the state government officers, telecom providers and other stakeholders in the region, said the Centre intends to provide Village Public Telephones (VPT) in all the uncovered villages by March next year.
To achieve this, 1564 digital satellite phone telephone booths (DSPB) will be installed along with other technology options to extend the coverage, he said.

A directory of installed VPT would be provided to the state governments to integrate them into the disaster management system.
BSNL has been directed to ensure that all the existing VPTs are made functional by December this year, he said.
The states were informed that the project to link all block headquarters with broadband coverage is expected to be completed by July next year.