Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya M Scindia today launched a series of citizen-focused initiatives aimed at enhancing telecom accessibility, security, and connectivity. Key announcements included the Sanchar Saathi Mobile App, National Broadband Mission (NBM) 2.0, and the Intra Circle Roaming (ICR) facility at Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN)-funded 4G sites.
The Sanchar Saathi Mobile App aims to enhance telecom security and empower users with tools to combat fraud. Key features include the ability to report fraudulent communications, manage mobile connections, block lost or stolen devices, and verify handset authenticity. The app, available on Android and iOS platforms, targets India’s 900 million smartphone users, ensuring telecom security at their fingertips.
While launching the Mobile Application, the Minister remarked, “This initiative not only provides access to opportunities but also ensures a secure environment for all users.” He emphasised that the Sanchar Saathi App is committed to maintaining the security, safety, and trustworthiness of telecom networks for everyone.
Achievements of Sanchar Saathi Initiative
Since its launch in May 2023, the Sanchar Saathi platform has achieved notable milestones:
Building on the success of the first phase, NBM 2.0 aims to connect an additional 1.7 lakh villages by 2030, enhance broadband penetration in rural areas, and improve fixed broadband speeds to a minimum of 100 Mbps. Other goals include:
Extending optical fiber coverage to 2.7 lakh villages by 2030
Ensuring 90 percent of schools, Panchayats, and health centers have broadband.
Increasing rural internet penetration from 45 percent to 60 percent.
Powering 30 percent of mobile towers with sustainable energy.
Jyotiraditya Scindia highlighted that NBM 2.0 builds on the success of NBM 1.0, under which nearly 8 lakh towers were established. He noted, “Broadband subscriptions have increased from 66 crore to 94 crore. This growth serves as the fulcrum, the foundation, and the basis for the launch of NBM 2.0.”
He further emphasised that the primary objective of NBM 2.0 is to connect the remaining 1.7 lakh villages across the country and to achieve ambitious milestones. “Our goal is to ensure that at least 60 out of every 100 rural households have access to broadband connectivity. Additionally, we aim to achieve a minimum fixed broadband download speed of 100 Mbps, creating a robust digital infrastructure for rural India,” he added.
The telecom towers funded by Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN), previously known as USOF, in rural and remote areas cater to the subscribers of the specific TSP that installed the mobile tower with DBN funding. So far, subscribers of other TSPs have not benefited from the DBN-funded towers.
The newly launched Intra Circle Roaming (ICR) facility addresses this issue. Now, the Minister has inaugurated ICR at DBN-funded 4G sites. This collaboration between BSNL, Airtel, and Reliance Jio will enable shared infrastructure across around 27,836 sites, offering 4G connectivity to 35,400 villages. The initiative optimises costs while ensuring robust coverage in remote areas, according to the Communications Ministry.
The Union Minister emphasised the significance of this initiative, stating, “This is a crucial pillar, with three of our TSPs – BSNL, Airtel, and Reliance – joining forces to leverage each other’s infrastructure at all DBN-funded sites. With nearly 27,836 such sites, we are ensuring not only connectivity but also providing customers across the country with the freedom of choice.”
The Ministry further explained, “ICR between TSPs at DBN-funded 4G mobile sites will enable subscribers of multiple TSPs to enjoy 4G services from a single DBN-funded tower instead of having multiple towers for the various TSPs. Therefore, more subscribers are benefited through a lower CAPEX investment of the operators and Government. This initiative promises seamless 4G connectivity for over 35,400 rural and remote villages served by approximately such 27,000 towers.”
Neeraj Mittal, Secretary (Telecom) of the Department of Telecommunications, highlighted that the ICR facility will be especially beneficial for those in remote regions of the country.
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