Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) announced plans to install 1,857 mobile towers across Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, aiming to bring mobile connectivity to villages and remote areas that currently lack coverage.
The announcement was made by BSNL Chief General Manager, NE-II Circle, Ramashray Prasad, during a media interaction in Dimapur on Thursday, following a 5‑km run that marked the company’s 26th Foundation Day celebrations. Prasad said the government has mandated BSNL to saturate villages with mobile connectivity, especially in regions where other operators have not deployed infrastructure.
BSNL will also connect Gram Panchayats and villages through optical fibre under the Amended BharatNet project. According to Prasad, about 1,800 towers have already been rolled out in rural areas of the three northeastern states. In Arunachal Pradesh, 102 new towers were added this month, with plans for another 350. Nagaland currently hosts 485 4G towers, including 296 in remote villages, and has 22 additional saturation towers planned.
Dilip Siram, PGM of NE-II Circle, noted that roughly 75 % of the 4G saturation project and 95 % of the 9.2 project in Nagaland have been completed. Once finished, all villages in the state should have 4G connectivity. Siram also said BSNL will roll out 5G once the 4G network stabilises, and that about 170,000 people in Nagaland are currently subscribed to BSNL services.
On disaster response, Kikon highlighted the company’s focus on reliable connectivity in remote and border areas, including those adjoining Myanmar. The company also introduced a new Rs.349 prepaid STV plan effective October 3, offering unlimited voice calls, unlimited data and 100 SMS per day for 28 days. Additionally, an extra 15 days of validity were added to the Rs.2,399 prepaid plan for recharges made between October 1 and 15, extending the validity from 365 to 380 days.
