NEW DELHI, June 17 � In a bid to improve the telecom services in the North-east, the government will invest Rs 5,000 crore to set up over 8,000 mobile towers in the region, reports PTI.
Minister of Communications and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad said that improving telecom connectivity in the North-east is one of the top priorities of the government.
�In the North-east, telecom infrastructure will be strengthened. The government will set up over 8,000 towers at a cost of Rs 5,000 crore,� Prasad told reporters here.
He said the Telecom Commission had cleared the proposal a few days ago.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had last year recommended an investment plan to improve services in the North-east India.
The TRAI recommended a two per cent discount on annual licence fees for telecom operators that cover at least 80 per cent of habitations with a population of 250 and subsidies for installation of solar power units at telecom towers.
The regulator also recommended investments to provide seamless connectivity across national highways in the North-east, covering Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.
State-run companies BSNL and Power Grid Corporation of India recently signed an agreement to improve telecom connectivity in the region.
Prasad said improving telecom facilities in Naxal-affected areas is also among the government�s priorities.
