Airtel to connect 2,100 uncovered villages in northeast

New Delhi, Dec 10 (IANS) Telecom major Airtel on Sunday said it will provide mobile connectivity in 2,100 uncovered villages and national highways in the northeastern states over the coming 18 months.

This work is to be undertaken under an agreement with the Department of Telecom (DoT), a company release said here.

"Bharti Airtel has signed an agreement with DoT and the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) for provision of mobile services in identified uncovered villages and national highways in the northeastern states of Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh," the Airtel statement said.

As the largest operator in the northeastern states, Airtel will set up over 2,000 mobile towers and sites in unconnected pockets of the region to deliver telecom connectivity in over 2,100 villages over the next 18 months, it said.

For executing the project, Airtel would receive about Rs 1,610 crore from the DoT's Universal Service Obligation Fund to provide telecom services in rural and remote areas, the statement added.

The telecom giant said the infrastructure set up by it will also enable other service providers to offer services in a region characterised by tough terrain, as well as lower population density and connectivity.