Parliament Question: Expansion of Telecom Infrastructure and Improved Broadband and Internet Connectivity in Maharashtra

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 480 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25TH MARCH, 2026 EXPANSION OF TELECOM INFRASTRUCTURE AND IMPROVED BROADBAND AND INTERNET CONNECTIVITY IN MAHARASHTRA *480. DR. AMOL RAMSING KOLHE: SMT. SUPRIYA SULE: Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state: (a) whether the expansion of telecom infrastructure and improved broadband and internet connectivity under various Digital India initiatives have significantly accelerated the adoption of digital services across the country including Maharashtra and if so, the details thereof; (b) the details of mobile tower density, broadband penetration and fibre connectivity achieved during the last five years in Maharashtra, district-wise particularly in rural, tribal and aspirational districts; (c) whether disparities persist in internet speed, service reliability and affordability between urban centres like Mumbai and semi-urban and rural regions of the State and if so, the details thereof; (d) whether the Government has assessed the impact of connectivity gaps on digital payments, online education, telemedicine and e-governance services in Maharashtra and if so, the details thereof; and (e) the time-bound steps proposed to strengthen last-mile connectivity, address network congestion and ensure inclusive digital access across all regions of Maharashtra? ANSWER MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION (SHRI JYOTIRADITYA M. SCINDIA) (a) to (e) A statement is laid on the Table of the House. 1STATEMENT IN RESPECT OF PARTS (a) TO (e) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 480 FOR 25TH MARCH, 2026 REGARDING “EXPANSION OF TELECOM INFRASTRUCTURE AND IMPROVED BROADBAND AND INTERNET CONNECTIVITY IN MAHARASHTRA.” (a) Over the last 12 years, internet subscribers have increased from about 26.73 crore in December 2014 to over 102.86 crore in December 2025, while average data usage per user has increased from 0.09 giga byte (GB) to 25.70 GB per month over the same period. At the same time, the cost per GB has declined significantly from ₹269 to ₹7.87, making data more affordable. This increase in access and affordability has led to large-scale adoption of digital services across the country, including in the State of Maharashtra. Unified Payment Interface (UPI) recorded 2039.418 crore transactions, amounting to a total value of ₹26.84 lakh crore in February 2026, while direct benefit transfer of ₹6.17 lakh crore was made through 586 crore transactions during the financial year (FY) 2025-26. (b) to (e) District-wise details of towers, base transceiver stations and service-ready Gram Panchayats (GPs) connected under the BharatNet programme of the Government and mobile coverage status in villages in the State of Maharashtra are given in the Annex. Disparities regarding affordability have largely reduced with mobile data costing on the average ₹7.87 per GB across the country. Though coverage to various locations is provided by Telecom Service Providers based on techno-commercial considerations, the Government, with funding from Digital Bharat Nidhi, has approved various schemes for expansion of telecom connectivity through installation of mobile towers in rural and remote areas across the country, including under 4G saturation projects by installing 34,780 mobile towers covering 46,331 villages and the Amended BharatNet Programme for the provisioning of high-speed broadband to all 2.65 lakh GPs and broadband connectivity on demand basis to the remaining 3.8 lakh non-GP villages with minimum demand for five home fibre internet connections. 2Annex Annex referred to in the reply to part (b) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. *480 to be answered on 25th March, 2026, regarding “Expansion of Telecom Infrastructure and Improved Broadband and Internet Connectivity in Maharashtra” District-wise details of towers, base transceiver stations and service-ready Gram Panchayats (GPs) connected under the BharatNet programme of the Government and mobile coverage status in villages in the State of Maharashtra, as of February 2026 Base Service-ready Mobile Sl. District Towers transceiver GPs under coverage No. stations BharatNet (villages) 1. Ahmednagar 3,308 13,003 987 1,575 2. Akola 1,159 4,262 490 963 3. Amravati 1,908 7,018 836 1,872 4. Beed 1,696 6,434 1,013 1,368 5. Bhandara 705 2,667 535 870 6. Buldhana 1,480 5,734 720 1,410 7. Chandrapur 1,368 4,831 819 1,742 8. Chhatrapati 2,971 11,546 751 1,355 Sambhajinagar 9. Dharashiv 1,118 4,169 621 738 10. Dhule 1,250 4,925 539 714 11. Gadchiroli 1,099 2,998 341 1,520 12. Gondia 839 2,832 553 902 13. Hingoli 642 2,106 559 707 14. Jalgaon 2,448 9,548 1,110 1,508 15. Jalna 1,201 4,748 780 965 16. Kolhapur 2,548 10,450 807 1,229 17. Latur 1,597 6,084 786 943 18. Mumbai 5,033 17,336 - - 19. Mumbai Suburban 7,638 26,899 - - 20. Nagpur 4,126 15,576 761 1,862 21. Nanded 1,842 7,004 1,020 1,651 22. Nandurbar 983 3,187 590 905 23. Nashik 4,061 16,635 1,052 1,891 24. Palghar 2,397 9,342 460 899 25. Parbhani 1,034 3,867 695 839 26. Pune 11,625 45,757 1,145 1,836 27. Raigad 3,012 11,344 793 1,975 28. Ratnagiri 1,071 4,030 486 1,472 29. Sangli 1,889 7,971 694 720 30. Satara 2,016 8,649 1,227 1,720 31. Sindhudurg 573 2,352 409 704 32. Solapur 2,834 11,725 812 1,158 33. Thane 9,650 33,468 68 806 34. Wardha 898 3,286 507 1,362 35. Washim 609 2,270 486 781 36. Yavatmal 1,723 5,796 1,123 2,101 Total 90,351 3,39,849 24,575 43,063 ***** 3