**Policy Summary: Initiatives to Improve Telecom Services in India**
**Date:** July 24, 2025
**Source:** Ministry of Communications, Government of India
**Overview:** The Ministry of Communications has undertaken several government-funded projects to enhance telecom services, particularly in commercially unviable rural and remote areas, and to provide mobile services in uncovered villages across the country.
**Key Initiatives and Progress:**
* **BharatNet Project:** This project aims to provide broadband connectivity to Gram Panchayats (GPs) in India. As of June 2025, 214,325 GPs have been made service-ready. Details are available on the Digital Bharat Nidhi website (https://usof.gov.in/en/home). The Amended BharatNet Program (ABP), approved on August 4, 2023, focuses on upgrading the existing BharatNet network and creating a network in the remaining approximately 42,000 GPs. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is the Project Management Agency for ABP, with a three-year construction timeline followed by operation and maintenance.
* **Mobile Services in Remote Areas:** Targeted schemes and projects, in partnership with BSNL and other private Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), have been implemented to provide high-speed internet/data and mobile services in uncovered remote rural areas. As of June 2025, 21,748 mobile towers have been commissioned under 4G Saturation and other mobile projects.
* **Connectivity to Islands:** Submarine optical fiber cable (OFC) projects have been commissioned by BSNL to provide high-speed internet/data connectivity to Andaman & Nicobar Islands (2312 km, commissioned August 10, 2020) and Lakshadweep Islands (1869 km, commissioned January 3, 2024). These projects facilitate the faster rollout of mobile services (4G/5G) and other high-speed data/internet services in the Islands.
* **Financial Disbursement:** The government has disbursed Rs. 90,813.58 Cr. under various projects as of June 30, 2025.
**Stakeholder:** Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)
**Parliamentary Disclosure:** This information was provided by the Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Communications: The Indian government ministry responsible for telecommunications.
BharatNet project: A government project to provide broadband connectivity to Gram Panchayats (GPs) in India.
Gram Panchayats: Village level local self-government institutions in India.
Amended BharatNet Program: An upgraded version of the BharatNet Program approved on 04.08.2023.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited: An Indian state-owned telecommunications company, nominated as the Project Management Agency for Amended BharatNet Program.
Chennai: A city in Tamil Nadu, India, connected to Andaman & Nicobar Islands via submarine optical fibre cable.
Andaman Nicobar Islands: A union territory of India, connected to Chennai via submarine optical fibre cable for high speed internet.
Lakshadweep Islands: A union territory of India, connected to Kochi via submarine optical fibre cable for high speed internet.
Ministry of Communications
Initiatives taken to improve Telecom Service
Posted On: 24 JUL 2025 4:21PM by PIB Delhi
To improve telecom services in commercially unviable rural and remote areas of the country and to provide
mobile services in uncovered villages, Government has taken a number of projects and initiatives. Details of
these Government funded major projects are as follows:
i. BharatNet project is being implemented in a phased manner to provide broadband connectivity to Gram
Panchayats (GPs) in the country. As of Jun-2025; 2,14,325 GPs have been made service ready under
BharatNet project in the country. State/UT-wise list of Gram Panchayats (GPs) provided with broadband
connectivity under the BharatNet project is available on Digital Bharat Nidhi website
(https://usof.gov.in/en/home). Further, on 04.08.2023, Government has approved the Amended
BharatNet Program (ABP) for up-gradation of existing network of BharatNet Phase-I and Phase-II,
creation of network in balance 42,000 GPs (approx.). Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has been
nominated as the Project Management Agency for ABP with timeline of three years from the signing of
agreement, for completion of construction phase and then operation and maintenance will start.
ii. For provision of high-speed internet/data and mobile services in uncovered remote & rural areas of the
country, various targeted schemes/projects have been implemented in partnership with BSNL & other
private telecom service providers (TSPs) of the country. Under 4G Saturation and other mobile projects,
till Jun-2025, 21,748 mobile towers have been commissioned in the country.
iii. For providing high speed internet/data connectivity to Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands,
submarine optical fibre cable (OFC) projects between Chennai and Andaman & Nicobar Islands (2312
Km) and between Mainland (Kochi) and Lakshadweep Islands (1869 km) have been commissioned on
10.08.2020 and 03.01.2024 respectively through BSNL. These optical fibre cable projects have
facilitated faster roll out of mobile services (4G/5G) and other high-speed data/internet services in the
Islands.
iv. Under various projects, Government has disbursed Rs.90,813.58 Cr. till 30.06.2025.
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 the Rajya Sabha today.
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Samrat/ Allen
(Release ID: 2147763)