Airtel, Jio to install over 4,779 4G mobile towers in uncovered villages of India

While some Indians in the metropolitan areas are expecting a 5G rollout to happen in the forthcoming years, others in rural regions are still expecting a proper 4G connection on their phones. Although now a major part of the country has 4G services, some areas are yet to be covered. Owing to it, the government has sanctioned over Rs. 3,683 crore to private telecom players like Airtel and Jio to provide 4G mobile services to the uncovered villages in the country.

Government assigns Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio for Rs. 3,683 crore project

Reportedly, a project to install 4G mobile towers across several villages in India has been approved. Under the project, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio have been roped in. Two of these telecom giants will have to install mobile towers in uncovered villages of 44 districts across five states – Maharastra, Jharkhand, Odisha, Andra Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

Bharti Airtel will install 1,083 mobile towers costing Rs. 847.95 crore in the villages of Maharastra and Jharkhand. On the other hand, Reliance Jio will set out 3,696 towers costing Rs. 2,836 crore in other regions. A total of Rs. 3,683 crore will be incurred for installing the mobile towers.

Both telcos have been given 18 months to provide 4G services in the aforesaid regions. These uncovered areas were identified and approved last year. Now, both telcos are expected to begin with the mobile tower installation work.

Despite only five states and 44 districts will be covered, over 7,287 uncovered villages are projected to receive 4G services in the coming months. The total estimated implementation cost of the project is about Rs. 6,466 crore, which includes all the operational expenses for five years. The project is funded by Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) and is expected to be completed by November of 2023.

In related news, Reliance Jio and Airtel recently conducted 5G trails in India. The 5G mobile services are expected to be rolled out by later 2022. Department of Telecommunication (DoT) revealed that the 5G services will be available in 13 cities across India. These regions include Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru, and others.

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