BSNL to expand 4G coverage to 421 villages in Nagaland

DIMAPUR — Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) will extend 4G connectivity to 421 villages in Nagaland as part of a nationwide rollout of 97,500 mobile towers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the towers on September 27 from Jharsuguda, Odisha.

Announcing the rollout at a press conference in Dimapur on Friday, BSNL NE-II Circle Chief General Manager N Murali said that the expansion is part of the company’s silver jubilee initiative and the 4G Saturation Project, which aims to connect rural and remote areas while bridging the urban-rural digital divide.

Across the NE-II Circle, 1,238 sites are being funded to cover 1,729 villages—including 421 in Nagaland, 982 in Arunachal Pradesh and 380 in Manipur. An additional 731 towers, 187 of them in the state, will be upgraded from existing 2G and 3G infrastructure to 4G.

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The rollout will bring reliable 4G connectivity to Nagaland’s remote and border villages, enhancing communication, digital services, and access to education and health resources, Murali said.

He added that the project is part of an INR 37,000-crore initiative built entirely with indigenous technology and powered by solar energy, making it India’s largest cluster of green telecom sites.

He also highlighted BSNL’s broader goals, including expanding fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) connectivity to Gram Panchayats and ensuring reliable optical fibre links to every district headquarters.

Currently, BSNL holds a 10.3% market share in the NE-II Circle, operating 3,169 mobile BTSs and 177 FTTH OLTEs, Murali said.