BSNL plans to cover entire India-China and India-Nepal border region with mobile connectivity by March 2025

BSNL plans to cover entire India-China and India-Nepal border region with mobile connectivity by March 2025

B.D.Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, Dec 4

To reduce the dependence on Nepalese mobile network available in border valleys of Darma, Vyans and Chaudans of Pithoragarh district on the Indo -Nepal-China border of this sector, BSNL is installing mobile towers at key places to cover entire border region with Indian mobile network.

The BSNL officers claim that before March 2025, the entire  region on the Indo- Nepal and on the Indo-China borders will be covered by BSNL network and it’s dependency at some places on Nepalese mobile network will end.

“A total of 31 mobile towers, under 2 separate projects, are to be installed to cover  the border region and Border out Posts (BOPs) at Indo-China and Indo-Nepal border, with mobile network including lower regions and  high Himalayan  border valleys of Chaudans, Darma and Vyans valleys at Indo-China border and Champawat district at Indo-Nepal border,” said  Mahesh Nikhurpa, BSNL, General Manager at Almora.

The BSNL had to install a temporary network for mobile connectivity at Gunji, on October 12, 2023, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Adi Kailash region.

“Under another special project of Ministry of Home affairs, Government of India to cover all border out posts of country with mobile network, we are going to install 25 towers at BOPs at Indo-China and Indo-Nepal border along Champawat and Pithoragarh districts, out of which we have activated 7 towers, work to install and activation of  rest of the towers, is going on,” said  Mahesh Nikhurpa, GM, BSNL.

The rest of the towers are being installed to cover entire border region under mobile network, under ‘4G saturation project’ of Communication Ministry, Government of India.”Except at few places where accessibility is creating problems, we will fully activate the towers before March next year,” said the GM.

“Out of 25 towers for BOPs, under a special project of Ministry of Home, Government of India, we have installed 13 towers at  Darma, Chaudans, and Vyans valleys where the network is to be activated soon,” said Ashish Kumar, District Manager of BSNL,Pithoragarh.

According to the BSNL officer, in next 2 months, all the planned mobile towers will be activated. “After that the entire region will depend totally on Indian network in place of Nepalese network which they have been dependent on and using often,” Ashish Kumar.

Kavindra Singh, a villager of Ramtoli, where the BSNL network has started functioning a month back, said that till last month, his villagers were dependent on Nepalese network for calls and used to pay cost of international calls.”Now my villagers have started talking to their relatives through BSNL network which is much cheaper,” said Kavindra Singh.

Anju Rongkaki, former gram Pradhan of Rongkong village of Vyans valley at Indo-China border, said that with the installation of BSNL towers at Jolingkong, her village will get mobile network round the year. “The villagers are happy as this move will encourage them to remain in the village even during winter, thus making the village vibrant round the year,” said Anju Rongkaki.