Shivamogga MP Presses BSNL to Fast-Track 4G Towers for Rural Villages

Shivamogga Member of Parliament B.Y. Raghavendra has asked officials of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to speed up the construction of mobile towers so that rural areas of the district get reliable network coverage, particularly 4G services.

The direction was given at a meeting with senior BSNL officials on Wednesday, where the MP reviewed the progress of connectivity works in the Shivamogga Lok Sabha constituency.

According to the MP's office, patchy network coverage has been affecting daily life in several villages. Schoolchildren have had difficulty accessing online classes and digital learning material. Staff at fair price shops, anganwadi centres and other public offices have faced delays in updating data of beneficiaries because of weak connectivity.

Officials informed the meeting that a proposal had been submitted for 4G towers in 398 villages of the constituency. Of these, 232 towers have been sanctioned. Residents of the remaining villages continue to face network problems.

Mr. Raghavendra asked officials to give priority to areas where geography makes coverage difficult, especially the hilly terrain of the Malnad region and rural parts of Tirthahalli, Hosanagar, Sagar and Sorab taluks, as well as remote villages under the Byndoor Assembly constituency.

"Good mobile network facilities should reach not just urban areas, but also the common citizen in the remotest village of Malnad. Connectivity has become a basic necessity today — right from students' education to farmers' information needs, government services, digital payments and communication during emergencies, every sector requires network access," he told the officials.

BSNL officials said a fresh recommendation has been sent to the Centre seeking sanction for new 4G towers in 14 villages that still lack network facilities. These include six villages in Sorab taluk, four in Hosanagar taluk, three in Tirthahalli taluk and one in Sagar taluk. A decision on the proposal is awaited.

The MP instructed officials to ensure that construction of already sanctioned towers is not delayed, and that all ongoing works are completed within the stipulated time frame and opened for public use.

He also asked them to coordinate with the departments concerned to resolve administrative hurdles relating to land required for tower construction, power connections, technical issues, equipment installation and permissions, so that projects are not held up.

BSNL Circle (Bengaluru) Chief General Manager Sukumaran N.K., Shivamogga Circle Office General Manager Binay Kumar Sinha, Deputy General Manager S.B. Koppa, Assistant General Manager Vijay Rooban Singh and other officials attended the meeting.

The delay in expanding rural connectivity is not limited to Shivamogga. Telecom expansion in hilly and remote regions across the country often faces challenges such as difficult terrain, delays in land acquisition, power supply issues and the cost of laying infrastructure. Bridging this gap is seen as important for the delivery of government services, digital payments and education to villages, where mobile networks are often the only means of internet access.