NEW DELHI: The Government eyes to give a boost up to the 5G telecom services by installing 25,000 telecom towers in the next 500 days at an approximate value of Rs 26,000 crore.
Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said this in his valedictory address here on Tuesday on the last day of the 3-day long "Digital India conference" of the state IT ministers that had been inaugurated by the Prime Minister on October 1. The project, announced by the minister will be financed through the Universal Services Obligation Fund and implemented by Bharat Broadband Network.
The Universal Service Obligation Fund is a body under the Department of Telecommunications to fund research and development in rural-specific communication technology applications. Bharat Broadband Network is a special purpose vehicle set up by the government to provide telecom infrastructure.
As per the telecom ministry spokesperson, financial assistance for the project will be provided by Universal Services Obligation Fund and it will be implemented by Bharat Broadband Network. The project was announced by Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at 3-daylong 'Digital India Conference of State IT Ministers' that concluded on October 3. "In his concluding remarks, AshwiniVaishnaw stated that connectivity is vital for Digital India and its reach to every corner of the country. He announced that Rs 26,000 crore has been sanctioend to install 25,000newtowers in next 500 days," the statement said.
Minister Vaishnav also announced a special package of Rs 2,000 crore to the states for capital expenditure in increasing the digital connectivity, Important for the digital India to outreach every nook and corner of the country.
Minister of State (MoS) for Electronics and Information Technology and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MoS Communications Devusinh Chauhan and IT ministers from 12 states and UTs, namely Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Goa, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Telangana, Mizoram, Sikkim, and Puducherry were among the participants in the conference.
The announcement of additional funds for towers to improve telecom infrastructure follows the launch of fifth-generation wireless services in the country. Bharti Airtel has launched 5G services in eight cities, while Reliance Jio Infocomm is expected to roll out such services by Diwali. State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd is reportedly planning to roll out 5G services by August 2023.
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