India's state-owned mobile network, BSNL is expected to start expanding its
network into terrorist affected areas by the end of this year.
The deployment is dependent on approval from the Telecom Commission, which is
expected to be granted later this month.
The rural areas have been poorly served by mobile networks,
partly due to economic reasons, but also due to the ongoing terrorist
insurgency.
The Naxalites are a Maoist communist group in India,
leaders of the Naxalite-Maoist insurgency. The Naxals are considered far-left
radical communists, supportive of Maoist political sentiment and ideology. They
have a modus-operandi of attacking mobile phone networks and taking down their
towers - after claiming that the police use the networks to track their mobile
phones.
An official said BSNL has already installed 363 towers and identified another
450 sites for setting up towers.
"BSNL has opened the tender and selected the vendor. The market price
for the project has been obtained, which is communicated to the Department of
Telecom (DoT). Further decision is to be taken after the approval of the Telecom
Commission," an official told PTI.
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