The Communications Minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia, has recently stated that the government is working to provide 4G connectivity in every region of the country, including the most remote and border areas. He told the Lok Sabha that the project will fit closely into the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for universal digital access.
Nearly 25000 mobile towers have been installed in the past 1 year
The government has already built around 25,000 mobile towers in the past year. It is significantly speeding up the expansion of connectivity across states,' stated Scindia.
He further added that the remaining 12,000 towers will be installed by next year (2026), completing the national target.
More towers for the Jammu and Kashmir border areas
The minister further confirmed that many of the coming towers are to be set up in the border areas of Jammu & Kashmir, where network problems have been a perennial problem.
Answering MP Abdul Rashid Sheikh, Scindia said the delay was caused by state-level permissions, and ground surveys took time, but the project is going full steam now.
He assured that with the next phase of installation of towers, residents in these difficult terrains would finally get reliable 4G mobile services to aid in education, security, healthcare and fulfilling day-to-day digital needs.
Government clears the air: No spy risk in Sanchar Saathi app
During the session, Scindia also spoke to concerns over the Sanchar Saathi app, which the DoT had earlier in the day instructed smartphone manufacturers to pre-install in all new devices. That decision had triggered criticism from the Opposition, which claimed the app could be used for surveillance.
Scindia reportedly dismissed such apprehensions, clearly stating that “spying is not possible through this app in any manner.”
He reiterated that the platform can only assist users in tracking and blocking stolen phones, checking any mobile connection, and preventing fraud. He further noted that the government has now withdrawn the requirement to pre-install the app on new phones; users are free to download it voluntarily from official app stores.