25,067 Villages in India are still without Voice & Data – and Internet

Urgent need to roll out new Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) Initiatives

By Rakesh Kumar Bhatnagar

Four percent of Indian villages do not still have any mobile Voice and Data Connectivity. In absolute numbers, this translates to 25,067 villages that are not connected to the Internet. To give it a human face – anywhere between 1 to 1.8 million people have no way to access the digital age. This is a shocking Digital Divide by any yardstick.

Licensed Service providers simply do not find it financially viable to provide services in these regions. But that should not be a reason to deny connectivity to every corner of the country.

Efforts to incentivize through the USO fund, have not yielded desired results. Many players including BSNL do not participate in bids for rolling out networks in these areas. But there is a solution. And it is easy to implement.

Solution

The Government needs to create a new class of network licensees who can set up Private Network Islands (PNI) in unconnected and remote regions. The DoT should support this category from the USOF. Geographical Operations can be limited only to a specific region. PNIs can set up their own networks. Or they can make leasing arrangements with one or more State / Circle level Service Providers. Sharing of Spectrum, as well as active and passive elements of the network, should also be allowed.

The Government needs to create a new class of network licensees who can set up Private Network Islands (PNI) in unconnected and remote regions.

Service Providers, at the Circle level, have to be mandated to provide interconnection whenever requested by a PNI.

Private Network Islands – Approach

• PNI, funded by USOF. DoT awards rights — either directly or through a Tender for a specific area(for example a cluster of villages – a subset of a Circle)
• Mandate existing licensees in the State / Circle to offer Reference Offers to these USO licensees covering:
• Shared Spectrum resources for 3 to 5 years period
• PNI installs equipment like Wi-Fi, Radio, Satellite, and mobile equipment for providing coverage in select clusters
• PNI can provide its own Billing and Customer Service facilities.
• Shared Network resources (active and passive) based on a reference offer from existing Circle level licensees with terms approved by TRAI
• Mandatory Interconnect facilities with operators at the State/circle level so that calls from the cluster can be routed to any part of the world.
• The funding helps PNI cover CAPEX and OPEX elements
• PNI will be able to provide better QoS and the model works better than MVNOs
• Dependence on current service providers for Universal Coverage ends
• The problem of tens of thousands of villages with no coverage presently is solved
• The model supports small players to directly implement USOF projects using their own equipment independently

Conditions for Support

• The projects should be preferably implemented by seeking the support of BSNL interconnection facilities
• Government should mandate BSNL to provide interconnection to PNIs who use only Indian Designed and Developed products and comply with relevant TEC GRs.
• The product specifications should be finalized for open tender by a committee and TEC should be a member for guidance on relevant GRs.
• Domestic manufacturers should present solutions and prototypes (with POC) to maximize the participation of the Indian industry.
• USOF Administrator can revive Projects on last-mile connectivity (Bharatnet) Projects under PPP Mode using the above methodology

Seven Domestic companies (Lekha Wireless, Saankhya Labs, Nivetti Systems, Resonous, Signal Chip, Sookhta, Aristrome) in mid-2020 had submitted proposals for last-mile connectivity under the USOF.

along with ITI. These proposals should be revived under the PPP mode using the above methodology and bring 1 million Indians into the Internet age.

As India celebrates 75 years of Azadi on 15th August 2022, a firm decision to switch on Voice & Data facilities in these unconnected villages should be made – all on Domestically Designed networks – as a tribute to AatmaNirbharta and Swadeshi.

Bhatnagar is Director General, VoICE & Retired Advisor (Technology), DoT

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