A press conference was organised today by the Assam Licensed Service Area (LSA) Office of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India, at BSNL Bhawan, Guwahati, to highlight the initiatives and progress made in strengthening telecom infrastructure, expanding rural connectivity and enhancing cybersecurity measures across Assam. The conference also focused on various citizen-centric telecom services and ongoing efforts to promote secure and inclusive digital connectivity in the state.

Addressing the media, Shri Rajendra Meshram, Additional Director General (Telecom), Assam LSA, highlighted the significant progress made in telecom connectivity and digital infrastructure across the state. He informed that Assam currently has 2,92,10,536 wireless subscribers supported by 19,809 telecom towers and 71,422 Mobile BTSs, including 46,765 4G BTSs and 10,616 5G BTSs.

He stated that 5G services are now available not only in urban areas but also in all 35 district headquarters and more than 3,700 villages across Assam. More than 99 per cent of villages in the state are covered with 4G connectivity. Under the Digital Bharat Nidhi initiative and the ongoing 4G Saturation Project, telecom connectivity is being extended further to remote and uncovered villages, with more than 440 villages currently being covered under the project.

It was further informed that more than 1.3 lakh unauthorized mobile connections have been disconnected in Assam through citizen verification initiatives available on the platform. Additionally, over 15,000 suspected fraudulent communications have been reported through the Chakshu facility, supporting enforcement agencies in tackling cybercrime and telecom-related fraud.

On financial cybersecurity, Shri Meshram informed that DoT has introduced the Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI) to assist banks and financial institutions in identifying high-risk mobile numbers associated with potential financial frauds. All major banks in Assam have been integrated with this system.

Through the CEIR facility (Central Equipment Identity Register), citizens can block and trace lost or stolen mobile phones. With support from DoT, Assam Police has recovered nearly 19,800 mobile phones during the past two years.

As part of awareness and public outreach programmes, DoT is implementing the Sanchar Mitra Scheme in Assam. Under the initiative, 347 students from 18 premier engineering institutions, including IIT, IIIT and NIT, have been engaged as digital ambassadors to spread awareness on cyber fraud prevention, safe telecom practices and citizen-centric telecom services.

The Department has also established two 5G Use Case Labs at IIT Guwahati and NIT Silchar to promote innovation and research in emerging telecom technologies among students, startups and MSMEs, particularly in sectors such as agriculture, healthcare and education.

Public awareness on EMF radiation safety and telecom infrastructure protection was also discussed during the press conference. Fourteen EMF awareness programmes were conducted during the past year to address public concerns regarding mobile tower radiation. It was reiterated that electromagnetic waves emitted from mobile towers are non-ionizing and safe for human beings and other living organisms.

The press conference was attended by Shri Pankaj Das, Deputy Director General (Rural), Shri Piyush Chetiya, Deputy Director General (Administration), Ms Vibha Tomar, Deputy Director General (Compliance), and Shri Vijay Agarwal, Deputy Director General (Technology).

 

PG/SM

(Release ID: 2266674) Visitor Counter : 32