STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: Assam still has 2,083 villages beyond mobile connectivity, and the eight states in the region together have 9,326 villages without mobile connectivity. Assam and the Northeast have 791 such villages with mobile connectivity but without 3G or 4G coverage.
These facts came to the fore in a report of the Union Ministry of Communication. According to the report, 36,608 of the 45,934 villages in the Northeast have mobile connectivity. And 35,817 of the 36,608 villages with mobile connectivity have 3G or 4G coverage.
As many as 24,346 of the 26,429 villages in Assam have mobile connectivity, and the remaining 2,083 villages in the state are beyond mobile coverage. Eighty of the villages with mobile connectivity in Assam have neither 3G nor 4G coverage.
The report further said that the government and telecom service providers provide telecommunication connectivity across the country, including the northeastern region, in phases. The government is implementing various schemes under the Universal Service Obligation Fund to enhance telecom connectivity in the rural areas of the country, including the northeastern region.
There are provisions for 4G mobile services in the northeastern part of the country under the comprehensive telecom development programme for the northeastern region. The estimated cost of this scheme is Rs 3,637 crore.
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