BSNL is installing mobile towers in key locations across Pithoragarh and Champawat districts of Uttarakhand to improve coverage in areas bordering China and Nepal, thereby reducing reliance on Nepalese mobile networks.
The entire region near the India-Nepal and India-China borders in the Darma, Vyas, and Chaudas valleys will be covered by the BSNL network before March next year, according to BSNL officials.
"A total of 31 mobile towers are being installed to cover the border region and border outposts (BOPs) on the India-Nepal and India-China borders," said BSNL General Manager Mahesh Nikhurpa.
Of these, 25 towers are being erected to connect the BOPs, with the remaining towers aimed at covering the lower areas of the valleys. Seven of the 25 towers are already operational, with work underway on the others. Nikhurpa confirmed that all towers would be fully activated by March next year.
Mobile connectivity in the upper Himalayan region of Uttarakhand has been poor due to a lack of towers, leaving residents dependent on Nepalese networks, which are often located at higher elevations.
BSNL had to set up a temporary network for better mobile connectivity at Gunji on 12 October 2023, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jolingkong to view the Adi Kailash peak.
Kavindra Singh, a resident of Ramtoli village, where the BSNL network was activated a month ago, said villagers had previously relied on the Nepalese network for calls, which were costly. "Using the Nepalese network for a call was as expensive as making an international call," he explained. "The BSNL network has made it cheaper and more convenient for us."
Anju Rongkaki, former village head of Rongkong in Vyas Valley, on the India-China border, said the installation of BSNL towers at Jolingkong will provide her village with year-round mobile coverage.
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