17,298 Northeastern Villages Still Outside BSNL Network, Forcing Costlier Private Services

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: As many as 17,298 villages in 8 Northeastern (NE) states, including Assam, are yet to be covered by BSNL's cellular service. Due to this lack of coverage, consumers are compelled to avail themselves of services from private cellular operators, entailing higher costs. It is a fact that the rates of private operators are higher than that of BSNL.

BSNL cellular service is primarily valued for its highly budget-friendly tariffs, deep rural coverage across India, and affordable validity plans. It provides an ideal, cost-effective communication option for basic connectivity, secondary numbers, and users residing in remote locations, but some rural areas in the NE are yet to benefit from BSNL's services.

The NE states are divided into four BSNL circles, i.e., Assam, North East I, North East II and Sikkim. The North East I BSNL circle covers the states of Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura. Under the North East II BSNL circle there are three states - Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland.

According to information available from The Sentinel, the total number of villages in Assam, as per Census 2011, is 26,395. Of these, 20,722 villages have been covered by BSNL cellular services, as of December 31, 2025. This leaves 5,623 villages out of BSNL coverage.

As per Census 2011, Sikkim has a total of 451 villages, of which 328 villages are covered by BSNL's cellular services. This leaves 123 villages out of BSNL's network coverage.

The North East I BSNL circle comprises 8,544 villages, of which 2,089 villages are covered by BSNL's cellular services, leaving 6,455 villages out of BSNL's network.

Under the North East II BSNL circle, there are a total of 9,532 villages, of which 4,435 villages are availing BSNL's cellular services.

According to the Ministry of Communications, with a view to strengthening BSNL/MTNL and to making them robust, competitive and viable, the central government has approved revival packages for BSNL as mentioned below:

In 2019, the first revival package amounting to around Rs 69,000 crore was given that brought down the operating costs of BSNL. The government provided a revival package of approximately Rs 1,64,000 crore in 2022. It focused on infusing fresh capital, restructuring debt, viability gap funding for rural telephony, etc. In 2023, the Government of India approved the allotment of 4G/5G spectrum to BSNL with the total outlay of around Rs 89,000 crore. In 2025, an additional amount of Rs 6,982 crore has been approved as additional CAPEX support for rollout of 4G network by BSNL across the country.

Also Read: Assam: Repeat Theft at BSNL Marowa Exchange Sparks Public Outrage and Security Concerns