Telecom expansion in border villages reflects new development paradigm: Scindia

New Delhi, Mar 18: Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Wednedday informed the Lok Sabha of significant progress in expanding mobile connectivity across India’s border villages, underscoring the Government’s sustained push towards inclusive digital infrastructure.
Responding to a question on mobile tower connectivity in border villages, the Union Minister explained that villages located within 0 to 50 kilometres from the first habitation from international boundary are classified as border villages. He noted that, under the Vibrant Villages Programme, these settlements are no longer regarded as the “last villages” of the country, but rather as the “first villages”, reflecting a shift in developmental priorities.
The Union Minister highlighted that, under the visionary leadership of Narendra Modi, India has consciously adopted a path of technological self-reliance in the telecom sector. He noted that the development of an indigenous 4G telecom stack for BSNL represents a strategic move towards domestic manufacturing of critical telecom equipment, placing India among a select group of nations with such capabilities.
Referring to the revival of BSNL, the Union Minister stated that the public sector enterprise has recorded quarterly net profits for the first time in nearly 18 years during FY 2024–25. Its subscriber base has grown from 8.55 crore to 9.27 crore, reflecting renewed consumer confidence. He added that 100,000 4G towers have been rolled out, with further expansion planned, and that 5G services will be introduced following the stabilisation of the 4G network.
The Union Minister further informed that mobile coverage in uncovered inhabited villages is being provided by Telecom Service Providers based on their techno-commercial viability. The Government, through funding support from Digital Bharat Nidhi, has approved multiple schemes to expand telecom connectivity in rural, remote and border areas, including Rajasthan.
He stated that 97.28% of villages and locations in the border areas of Rajasthan already have mobile coverage. In addition, the Government has undertaken several key initiatives to further enhance mobile connectivity across the country, including in border regions.
These include amendments to licensing conditions for Telecom Service Providers to remove restrictions on the installation of mobile towers near international borders. Further, the Telecommunications (Right of Way) Rules, 2024, notified under the Telecommunications Act, 2023, have been introduced to enable faster and easier rollout of telecom infrastructure. The Gati Shakti Sanchar Portal has also been launched to facilitate quicker approvals for right-of-way applications.
Highlighting progress in Uttarakhand, the Union Minister stated that out of 705 identified border villages, 684 have already been provided with telecom connectivity. Efforts are ongoing to ensure coverage in the remaining villages, including through targeted interventions under the Digital Bharat Nidhi scheme.
The Union Minister emphasised that India today has one of the most extensive telecom networks globally, enabling large-scale digital services such as UPI and Direct Benefit Transfers. He noted that this transformation has positioned India as a global leader in digital communications, driven by affordability, scale and rapid technological adoption.
On rural broadband connectivity, he highlighted progress under the BharatNet programme, noting that over 215,000 Gram Panchayats have already been connected. The expanded BharatNet initiative, with an outlay of approximately Rs 1.39 lakh crore, is among the largest such programmes globally. The network is being upgraded to a ring topology to ensure redundancy and reliability, with additional villages being connected on a demand-driven basis.
The Union Minister also underlined that India’s telecom revolution over the past decade has reduced data costs by nearly 97 per cent, while significantly expanding mobile infrastructure and enabling rapid nationwide rollout of 5G services.
He concluded by reaffirming the Government’s commitment, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to ensuring last-mile connectivity across all regions of the country, particularly in border and remote areas, thereby advancing both development and national security objectives.