Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has installed satellite-based village public telephones in the eastern ghats of the Visakhapatnam district.
Originally, private operators were expected to provide connectivity to the remote villages and areas of Visakhapatnam. However, these companies have decided to pay a penalty to the Department of Telecommunications for not being able to do so. Therefore, BSNL has stepped in to establish telephone booths in the district.
Out of the 1,800 villages that were to be covered by telecom operators, BSNL has provided telephone connectivity to 400 villages through wireless local loop or GSM.
Further, in inaccessible areas, BSNL proposes to install village public phone terminals (VPTs) using digital satellite phone terminal (DSPT) technology. In the North-East, these are solar powered, but BSNL is also providing users long-discharge batteries which can be recharged using electricity. These non-portable phones are locked to a location, and will be monitored by the BSNL Telecom district
The operator has identified custodian-cum-phone booth operators in 27 of these villages, and is seeking expression of interest from customers in the other 24 villages. The project is being funded by the Universal Service Obligation Fund.
