12 Percent Of Rural Andhra Doesn’t Have Mobile Services: DoT Data

Despite completing two decades of cell phone revolution, the latest data collected from telecom service providers (TSPs) and Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in 2019 showed that 2,095 inhabited villages in the state do not have mobile services.

In Telangana, 110 villages are without mobile services.

Overall, AP accounts over 7% in terms of having inhabited villages without mobile services in India. Overall, India has 27,721 inhabited villages that are still waiting for a mobile service let alone internet penetration. However, BSNL boasts of having connectivity even in areas affected by Maoists in the state.

Going by census 2011, there are 16,158 inhabited villages in Andhra Pradesh which means that 12% of entire rural AP do not have mobile services while the remaining 14,068 villages have mobile services. The IT ministry attributed lack of mobile services in rural areas due to tough terrain, diverse locations, scattered population and commercially non-viable.

Interestingly, the data showed that the percentage share of BSNL to total subscribers in Andhra Pradesh was 11.31% and of private TSPs, 88.69%. One of the fundamental reasons for this is that BSNL migrated to 4G in Andhra Pradesh only in August 2019.

Whereas other private operators had already migrated and also brought out attractive unlimited plans under 4G scheme. Also, there are a total of 10,3365 4G base transceiver stations in the two Telugu states as of January, 2020.―Times of India