The Government has taken the following key actions to improve broadband connectivity in rural areas:

1. Launched the Gati Shakti Sanchar Portal on May 14, 2022 thus streamlining Right of Way (RoW) permissions for quick Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) laying and telecom tower setup, reducing approval time.
2. The Telecommunications Act 2023 and the Telecommunications (Right of Way) Rules 2024, effective from January 01, 2025, introduced uniform RoW charges nationwide, expediting Telecom Infrastructure deployment.

The National Broadband Mission (NBM) 2.0, which will start from April 01, 2025, shall facilitate to tackle challenges of broadband connectivity in remote and difficult areas through several initiatives:

1. Promoting satellite broadband for effective, competitive connectivity in rural and remote areas.
2. Coordinating with the Ministry of Power to use Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) from the power sector to enhance connectivity in hilly and remote regions.

Further, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is ensuring stable broadband connectivity in rural areas with funding from Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN). Key initiatives include:

1. The Bharat Net project, provides broadband to all Gram Panchayats (GPs) and villages. As of January 13, 2025, 2,14,323 GPs are service-ready.
2. Various schemes for high-speed internet and mobile services (including 4G) in remote areas, such as the Northeast, Islands, LWE-affected regions, Aspirational Districts, and border villages.
3. Submarine optical fiber cables were laid between Chennai and Andaman & Nicobar (2312 km) and Kochi and Lakshadweep (1869 km), enabling faster rollout of 4G/5G services.

Various telecom assets are mapped on the PM Gati Shakti (PMGS) National Master Plan (NMP) platform in addition to 1600+ layers of different Ministries/departments. The usage of PMGS NMP tools and other mapped telecom assets will aid in the effective planning of additional Bharat Net projects.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.

 

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