While only 35,000 villages in the country are uncovered by mobile connectivity, a whooping over 11,000 villages of them are in Odisha.
Mobile service is fast moving in the country; however, Odisha continues to be “connection deficit” zone, with highest number of villages still uncovered. Tele density in Odisha is 77 per cent, while it is 91 per cent in India.
And out of 51,353 villages in Odisha, 11, 078 villages are left unconnected as there is no mobile service in these far-flung zones, officials say.
While the Department of Telecommunication has initiated an exercise to identify the villages having no mobile connectivity, it came to the fore that situation in Odisha is grave.
Similarly, there is hardly any mobile connectivity in Maoist affected areas of the State and accordingly the State Government has brought up the matter to the notice of Ministry of Communications.
There is virtually no data facility available in the Red corridors as installed mobile towers are having low radiating antennas with low bandwidth, a report reveals.
While the Ministry of Home Affairs has sanctioned 794 mobile towers to be installed in the Left Wing Extremist (LWE) affected areas, 253 mobile towers are erected in these areas already. Rest 541 mobile towers are being deployed in the LWE zones.
However, where these 253 mobile towers are erected in the Maoist zones, they are practically serving little purpose as the towers with low radiating antennas also are having low bandwidth. So for receiving a call and answering, it is just not possible, admit top cops engaged in anti-Maoist operations.
While the MHA has provided so much of fund for installation of these mobile towers in the Red zones, the very purpose is defeated as anyone can hardly talk or data can be transferred.
Banks in these areas are not able to handle transactions due to want of data connectivity. While these 253 mobile towers are placed in the police station campuses in the Maoist zones, other 451 mobile towers will also be erected inside the police stations for safety.
Unless the Ministry of Communications (MoC) improves data capacity of these mobile towers, purpose of setting up of all these 794 mobile towers in the Maoist zones will be defeated, admit officials.
Under this backdrop, State Government has requested the Union Government to deploy more resources in Odisha for improving mobile connectivity and improve data connectivity of the mobile towers.
It is essential to pump more funds from the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), through which entire mobile, internet and broadband connectivity is funded.