At Indo-China border in Arunachal 4G connectivity lifting economy

Tawang: One of the last villages in the district near the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh, Airtel’s government-backed 4G tower launched services in Lompo last week, ushering in a new-age digital economy for locals. Access was paved.

Reliance Jio, Airtel’s arch rival, already has a presence in Dirang, 38 km from Bomdila – a district between Tawang and state capital Itanagar.
It expects to connect Jang (98 km from Dirang) by mid-May and then Tawang (40 km from Jang) by June-end. Officials said that the telecom tower will open up the local population to many services.

With improved road infrastructure, most people in Lumpo and nearby villages have their own vehicles but in the absence of a data network, they have to travel for hours to access banking, education, shopping, government services, etc. .
“We have been using mobile phones on BSNL network for the last 10-12 years but data doesn’t work. Airtel 4G has just launched and now we are able to transact here using Google Pay, PhonePe. Google is also working well now. Online videos are also working,” Dorjee, an electrician from Limpo told.
Limpopo is about 115 km from Tuang District HQ and about 3-5 km near the LAC by air distance. While Airtel has developed telecom services on the Tawang border, Jio has 10 tower sites on the Indo-Bangla border in Tripula and 19 tower sites on the Indo-Bangla border in Meghalaya, as well as on the Indo-Myanmar border in Mizoram and Manipur.
Jio has a total of 457 sites across international borders. Airtel has 383 sites. Dorjee said that local people need to send their children for education in Tawang town as even small doubts regarding education in the village cannot be removed.
“With the 4G services starting here, we will be able to provide online classes for our children here,” Dorjee said.

Most of the locals here are blue-collar workers but are well aware of the importance of data and access it when they commute to the city.

Zemithang, another village near LAC, about 17 km from Limpo, recently started getting 4G signals from Airtel but locals say it is not regular.
Zimthing village head Phurpha Leki said people have been using the BSNL network for the past 10-12 years but it does not support data connectivity.

“We have been getting Airtel signal for last 1 or 2 years but no internet facility. We have few local shopkeepers who collect money and then charge mobile recharge from people in Daman. Due to this we are suffering huge loss. It is happening. We pay Rs 120-130 and use only Rs 97. If we get internet here, we can overcome many problems,” he said.
Leki said that sometimes locals get good speed on Airtel and BSNL when locals recharge DTH and mobile phones. The Center has sanctioned 2,605 4G mobile towers at a total cost of Rs 2,675 crore to provide connectivity to over 3,721 villages in Arunachal Pradesh, including connectivity at Bum La Pass near the Line of Actual Control.
Tawang Extra Assistant Commissioner and In-charge District Commissioner Rinchin Leta said that all villages located near LAC will be covered with 4G, and 2G sites in these areas are being upgraded to 4G.
“59 towers in Tawang are being upgraded to 4G. It should be done by December as per the instructions of the Government of India. The entire border area will be covered with 4G towers coming up with USOF support. Towers are being erected at Bom La Pass. In the eastern part of our district near the Indo-Tibet border, Mago and Thingbu villages will soon get 4G. BSNL is setting up a tower and Airtel is also going to install its 4G there soon,” said Leta.
He said that 4G has increased the data speed in the border district which has enabled the local administration to provide online services.

“After the improvement in net connectivity, we are seeing an increase in people shopping online here. Earlier people had limited choices here. Local entrepreneurs now order online and deliver it to local people,” Leta said.
Tawang Sub Post master NK Sharma said that there has been a decline in domestic mail in the district but there has been a significant increase in e-commerce parcels.

“We send 80-85 parcels a day. We have seen an increase in e-commerce parcels in the last two years. It has more than doubled. 60 per cent households in the town shop mostly online,” Sharma said. said
According to a government official, Airtel has activated 263 towers for 4G services and will add another 445 towers in Arunachal by the end of this year.

BSNL had earlier installed 2G mobile networks with the help of USOF (Universal Service Obligation Fund) and plans to install 4G base stations with financial support from the Centre.

The state-owned firm was the first to install a mobile network in the difficult terrain of Tawang district, which includes the 13,700-foot-high snow-capped mountain of Sila Pass.
It is now in the process of setting up a mobile tower 14,000 square feet above sea level at Bom La Pass in Tawang.

We have 2G plus 3G BTS at Sela Pass which is located at 13,700 feet above sea level. It will be converted to 4G by December. We have another 4G site planned for Bum La Pass by the end of the year. So far, we have shortlisted 18 sites for new 4G towers in Tawang. All these will be completed by December,” said Ranjan Kumar, BSNL Sub-Divisional Officer Telegraph in Tawang.