The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) project for upgrading 2G mobile services to 4G at security sites in LWE ( Left Wing Extremism) areas at an estimated cost of about ₹2,426.39 crore.
An official statement said the project envisaged upgrading 2,343 sites in Phase-I from 2G to 4G mobile services at an estimated cost of ₹1,884.59 crore (excluding taxes and levies). “This includes O&M for five years. However, BSNL will maintain the sites for another five years at its own cost. The work will be awarded to it because these sites belong to it,” it stated.
Additionally, the Cabinet also approved the funding of operations and maintenance cost of LWE Phase-I 2G sites by BSNL for an extended period beyond the contractual period of five years at an estimated cost of ₹541.80 crore. The extension would be up to 12 months from the date of approval by the Cabinet or the commissioning of 4G sites, whichever was earlier, it noted.
“The government chose BSNL for a prestigious project to [promote] indigenous 4G telecom equipment so as to achieve self-reliance in the telecom gear segment to fulfil domestic market needs apart from exporting to other markets,” it said, adding that the upgrade would enable better Internet and data services in these areas.
