Parliament Question: Telecom services in Kushinagar

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4348 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02ND APRIL, 2026 TELECOM SERVICES IN KUSHINAGAR 4348 SHRI RATANJIT PRATAP NARAIN SINGH: Will the Minister of Communications be pleased to state: (a) the number of 5G Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) currently installed and operational in Kushinagar district; (b) the percentage of district's population that currently has access to high-speed 5G internet services; (c) the specific directives issued to Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) to improve call drop rates and network quality in rural blocks of Kushinagar; (d) the number of gram panchayats in the district successfully connected with optical fiber under BharatNet project; and (e) the details of public Wi-Fi hotspots installed at the Kushinagar International airport and major Buddhist tourist sites? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR) (a) As on 28.02.2026, 760 5G Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) are working in Kushinagar district of the State of Uttar Pradesh . (b) The license for Telecom Service is granted for a License Service Area (LSA). Accordingly, 5G services are available to the approximately 83% population of the Uttar Pradesh (East) License Service Area (LSA) which include Kushinagar district. (c) As per Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), in UP (East) LSA, for the month of February 2026, Telecom Service Providers met the benchmark of Drop Call Rate (DCR). (d) Out of 1121 Gram Panchayats (GPs) of the Kushinagar district, 1104 GPs have been made service ready on Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) under BharatNet project. (e) As on 28.02.2026, number of Wi-Fi hotspots installed under Prime Minister’s Wireless Access Network Identifier (PM-WANI) framework in Khushinagar district is 79. In addition to above, there are 99 PM WANI Wi-Fi hotspots in Raisen District of the Madhya Pradesh State wherein Sanchi , one of the major Buddhist tourist site, is situated. Further, 306 PM WANI Wi-Fi hotspots are available in Leh District which is also a major Buddhist tourist site. *** 1