New Delhi, Dec 18 (NationPress) The overall count of mobile subscriptions in India has now reached 115.12 crore (as of October 31), as disclosed to Parliament on Wednesday.

Out of a total of 6,44,131 villages across the nation, approximately 6,23,622 villages are now equipped with mobile connectivity, as stated by the Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, in response to a query in the Lok Sabha.

The government, along with telecom service providers (TSPs), is delivering mobile connectivity to uninhabited villages in a phased manner, he elaborated.

Moreover, various initiatives and projects are being executed under the Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) to enhance telecom connectivity, specifically through the establishment of mobile towers in rural, remote, and hilly regions of the country, the minister noted.

Additionally, the BharatNet project (previously known as the National Optical Fiber Network), funded by Digital Bharat Nidhi, is being rolled out in stages to ensure broadband access to all Gram Panchayats (GPs) nationwide.

The revised BharatNet Programme received Cabinet approval for the improvement of the existing network from BharatNet Phase-I and Phase-II, the development of a network in the remaining nearly 42,000 gram panchayats, as well as the operation and maintenance for a decade, at a total cost of Rs 1,39,579 crore, as per Dr. Pemmasani's remarks.

Recently, the government revealed that mobile network coverage in rural India has achieved nearly 97 percent, with at least 6,14,564 villages now enjoying 4G mobile connectivity.

In response to a query in the Rajya Sabha, Dr. Pemmasani mentioned that under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, 4,543 particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) habitations were recognized as lacking mobile connectivity; of these, 1,136 PVTG habitations have now been connected.

Meanwhile, 5G services are currently operational in 779 out of 783 districts across the nation (as of October 31). Furthermore, over 4.6 lakh 5G Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) have been established throughout the country, as reported by the minister.