New Delhi: State-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) is expecting to complete its portion of mobile network roll-out project, funded by the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), in the North East by 2018-end. “The project was approved in September 2014 but it came to BSNL in April 2016. Under this project 8,621 villages out of the 9,190 unconnected villages are to be covered by 6,673 towers. “BSNL received bids from five companies but has not been able to finalise it because of external influences which are delaying the project. There have been multiple exchange of letter between the department of telecom (DoT) and BSNL in this regard,” an industry source said.

Source: Mint February 12, 2017 10:49 UTC