In line with the TRAI’s recommendations the Telecom Commission is learnt to have approved Rs 2,320.70 crore from the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) to improve connectivity in the north eastern region.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had recommended improvement in the telecom services in the North Eastern states so that people in the region have access to quality telecom services.

On 22nd April, 2013, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) requested the regulator to carry out a gap analysis and prepare an investment plan for providing quality telecom services in the North Eastern states. The move aimed at formulating a comprehensive telecom plan for revamping and augmentation of telecom services in North Eastern region.

The North Eastern Region (NER) comprises the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. The region is characterized by extremely tough terrain with relatively poor infrastructure, such as rail, roads, electricity and telecom.

Attempts have been made in the past to increase telecom connectivity and teledensity in the region. However, the results so far have not been very encouraging. As on May, 2013, of the eight States in the NER, teledensity in five States is below the national average wireless teledensity of 70%. Similarly, in four States, namely, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya and Mizoram, the percentage of villages not having mobile coverage ranges from 55.9% to 24.3%. This is very high when compared with most other States where the percentage of uncovered villages is less than 10%.