BSNL to install 270 mobile towers in Himachal
Wednesday, 05 January 2005, 20:30 IST   |    29 Comments
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SHIMLA: State-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) will install 270 mobile towers in Himachal Pradesh by the end of the year to give respite to its subscribers facing problems because of jammed lines. "By the end of the year, 270 towers will be installed all over the 12 districts of the hill state. This will be carried out for us by multinational giant Nokia," said Rajinder Singh, BSNL chief Himachal Pradesh circle. Work will begin next week on Jan 10 from Shimla, which will add 21 towers to its present seven. As of now, there are 121 BSNL towers, which can cater to 93,000 subscribers. "But our subscribers have long crossed the 100,000 mark," Singh said. "When completed, the multi-million tower installation project would cater to 221,000 mobile subscribers," he added. BSNL is undergoing such an expansion for the first time since it started mobile services in the state three years ago. The thrust of the entire expansion plan would be to provide connectivity to interior parts of the state, including the mountainous tribal belt which falls in the high altitude zone in Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur, Chamba, Kullu and Shimla districts. BSNL is currently the only provider with some reach in the tribal districts of the hill state. Airtel and BSNL have been running neck and neck in terms of subscribers, but BSNL has been taken over by Bharti Telenet. For months, BSNL hasn't been able to provide prepaid cards at most centres. "If BSNL doesn't increase its infrastructure and services soon, it will lose its subscribers to the more aggressive and professional private players," said Neeraj Bharadwaj, a tourist guide. BSNL also has competition from Reliance, which recently launched a huge expansion plan in the state. The company is currently in the process of expanding its services to 69 towns in the state in the next six months covering 10 of the 12 districts of the state. Besides, Tatas are scheduled to start services later this month. Himachal Pradesh has a population of over six million, with 90 percent of its people living in villages.
Source: IANS
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