42,093 VILLAGES ARE CONNECTED WITH MOBILE CONNECTIVITY IN THE NE REGION
New Delhi, Aug 21, 2025 : Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development Dr. Pemmasani Chandrasekhar told the Parliament that by June 2025, out of 45,934 villages in the Northeast region (as per data from the Registrar General of India), 42,093 villages have been connected with mobile connectivity and out of these, 40,663 villages have 4G mobile connectivity.
In a written reply to a question on Wednesday, Chandrasekhar informed the Lok Sabha that mobile coverage in any untouched inhabited village is provided by telecom service providers (TSPs) based on techno-commercial feasibility. The government, through funding from the Digital India Fund (DBN), is implementing various projects and schemes to expand telecom connectivity through installation of mobile towers in rural, remote and border areas of the country, including the Northeast.
DBN projects under the Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan (CTDP) for the North Eastern Region are meant to provide mobile connectivity in villages and areas along the National Highways, with the aim of increasing the reach of mobile network to the deprived population of the region. As of June 2025, 2,485 mobile towers have been commissioned under DBN schemes in the North Eastern Region, providing mobile connectivity to 3,389 villages or locations.
At the same time, BharatNet project is being implemented in a phased manner to connect all Gram Panchayats (GPs) with broadband services like Wi-Fi hotspots, Fiber to the Home (FTTH) connections, etc.
Further, the Union Cabinet has approved the revised BharatNet programme for providing connectivity in ring topology to all GPs in the country, including upgrading the existing network and providing connectivity to about 3.8 lakh non-GP villages on demand.
By June 2025, 6,355 GPs have been made service-ready and 12,283 FTTH connections have been provided under the BharatNet project in the North Eastern region.
In fact, the telecom connectivity provided under DBN projects has enabled equitable access to communication and digital services for education, healthcare and e-governance in remote and border districts.