7,287 uncovered villages in the five states of the country is going to have mobile connectivity. The COAI on Thursday said that this initiative of the cabinet will lessen the digital divide in the country and boost the rural economy.
In order to meet the aims of the National Broadband Mission to provide global and equitable broadband services across the country, COAI or Cellular Operators Association in India supports this initiative.
To provide mobile connectivity in 7,287 uncovered villages, the estimated cost is 6,466 crores of rupees and the cabinet on last Wednesday cleared utilization of the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).
4-G connectivity is going to be provided to the ambitious villages of the forty-four districts of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Odisha.
The financial support for this project will be given by Universal Service Obligation Fund.
This initiative is for 699 villages/8 districts in Chhattisgarh, 610 villages/ 4 districts in Maharashtra, 827 villages/19 districts in Andhra Pradesh and 3,933 villages/10 districts of Odisha.
The objective of USOF is to give financial support to the telecom services in unfeasible rural and remote areas of the country.
USOF commenced in 2002 to bridge the digital divide by providing universal telecom services and to increase tele-density to improve connectivity and security.
Activities undertaken by USO Fund includes:
- Provision of household telephones in rural areas.
- Development of telecom infrastructure in remote and rural areas.
- Providing broadband facilities in villages step by step.
- Induction of new technologies like national optic fibre in rural areas.
The funds come from Universal Service Levy.
In the present times, the ability to access information is an important factor that determines our lifestyle and economy.
Rural economy plays a crucial role in formulating the national income of the country. Even though urbanization is increasing, by 2050 about 50 % of the country’s population will remain in rural areas itself.
Educational services, banking services, government projects, health services and many other facilities can be accessed through digital platforms.
Many projects and facilities are currently available only in the digital world. So, it is important to reduce this gap and bring people from all classes and locations together.
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