Bhubaneswar: Answering a query asked by Rairangpur MLA Naba Charan Majhi in the Assembly, Electronics & Information Technology Minister Tusharkanti Behera revealed that a total of 6799 villages have no telecom and internet services in the state.
“There is no mobile connectivity and internet services in 6799 villages in Odisha so far. The state government has allotted land for free to set up mobile towers for services to be provided by three major telecom operators under USOF (Universal Service Obligation Fund) of the Union Government at 3673 uncovered areas in the state. The target has been set to provide mobile services in all villages of the state by the end of March 2024,” the Minister told the House.
The state government has implemented Odisha Mobile Towers and Telegraph Line, OFC and related Telecom Infrastructure Policy, 2017, to establish and ensure telecommunication infrastructure/network in remote rural areas, he stated.