NEW DELHI: Following a call by the government to increase the reach of communications in the Red Corridor, around 1,315 solar empanelled towers have been set up in the Left Wing Exteremists region in record time
The work was undertaken by Vihaan Networks Limited (VNL), a pioneer in designing, developing and manufacturing of Telecommunications network solutions.
The Home Ministry along with Department of Telecom (DoT) had decided to build a mobile phone network in the most-affected regions across ten Indian States, recognizing that combating insurgency in India’s Red Corridor must include the provision of a robust communication network as an important element of its strategy. These include some of the most hostile terrain in the country, with practically no roads, power or security.
Around 2199 solar-powered mobile communication towers have been set up in a record time of less than a year, altering the geographical and social landscape of the area.
On 20 August 2014, the Union Cabinet approved the extension of mobile telephonic services to 2,199 locations affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in the States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. There are 106 districts across 10 states which have been identified by the government as LWE-affected districts.
The project was executed by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). BSNL has successfully installed towers at these locations giving network coverage to many villages as well as security forces camps and important locations with the help of domestic vendors Vihaan Networks Ltd and HFCL.
India’s cell phone revolution has helped shape the economic development and improved governance for its citizens, leading to game-changing reforms such as better targeting of subsidies.
Vihaan Network Chairman Rajiv Mehrotra said “It is a proud moment for us as we been able to connect millions of rural consumers, through our efficient infrastructure and expertise in Solar enabled telecom equipments. When we talk of integrated socio-economic development, it takes into account many areas that can benefit from faster access and enhanced productivities by using voice & data connectivity be it security, surveillance, connectivity and information access. In areas which are bereft of basic infrastructure, mobile connectivity underlines the solution to many.”
VNL has accomplished connectivity in 10 states, 90 districts, 12,700 villages, 39, 00,000 mobile connections, 110 million crore connected citizens connected and enabled security forces.
The project is funded by the Dot arm USOF, the total project cost was Rs 3567.58 crores this includes CAPEX as well as O&M for a period of 5 years.
