Telecom companies have completed installation of 5 lakh mobile towers in the country till date with a total investment of Rs 10.44 lakh crore, industry body COAI said Thursday. “COAI…congratulated the telecom industry on the landmark achievement of installing 5 lakh mobile towers, taking the total BTS count to over 20 Lakh,” the industry body said in a statement.

A mobile tower can house several base stations (BTS) of different telecom service providers. “The telecom industry has been closely working with the government in building a well-entrenched communication infrastructure and till date, the industry has invested INR 10.44 lakh crore to this end,” the statement said.

According to the data shared by the industry body, the sharp growth in the expansion of mobile tower was fuelled by 4G BTSs.

The data also showed that Maharashtra has the maximum number of BTS units (1,63,773) followed by Andhra Pradesh at the second position with 1,49,901 BTSs and Karnataka coming a close third with 1,41,353 BTSs.

“With the commercial deployment of 5G expected by early 2020, everything will pivot on better connectivity, both in terms of quality and speed. For this to happen seamlessly, robust telecom infrastructure is a must, COAI Director General Rajan S Mathews said.