In a major boost to digital connectivity in the Northeast, BSNL NE-II Circle has connected 783 villages across Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Manipur through its indigenous 4G rollout, officials said during a press conference on September 26 at the BSNL Conference Hall, Dimapur.
Out of the 1,969 planned sites in the NE-II Circle, 1,238 sites are part of the 4G Saturation Project, while 731 sites are being upgraded from existing 2G/3G towers. So far, 243 sites in Arunachal Pradesh covering 503 villages, 36 sites in Manipur covering 50 villages, and 190 sites in Nagaland covering 230 villages have been put on-air. Many of these towers are solar-powered, creating India’s largest cluster of green telecom sites.
The press briefing highlighted that BSNL’s 4G expansion is part of the Prime Minister’s national rollout of over 97,500 mobile 4G towers, built at a cost of Rs 37,000 crore using swadeshi technology. Over 18,900 sites under the Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) scheme will connect 26,700 previously unconnected villages, providing services to more than 2 million new subscribers.
N Murali, Chief General Manager, NE-II Circle, said the 4G Saturation Project aims to bridge the rural-urban digital divide, extending reliable connectivity to underserved villages in remote, high-altitude, and low-revenue regions.
He added that this international breakthrough places India among only five nations capable of building and deploying a complete mobile network stack.
BSNL’s financial performance in the NE-II Circle has also shown steady growth, with revenues rising 5.5% year-on-year to Rs 171 crore in FY 2025-26 compared to Rs 162 crore in FY 2024-25. The EBITDA turnaround of Rs 30.67 crore reflects strong margins, supported by cost discipline, 4G expansion, asset monetisation, and growth in enterprise and FTTH services, officials said.
Omega R Marak, PGM (HR & Admin & CM & SM), delivered the welcome address, while Dilip Siram, PGM (CFA & EB), presented the briefing, and Mukesh Meena, GM (BN), proposed the vote of thanks.
Officials emphasised that BSNL is emerging stronger as India’s own telecom giant after years of challenges, while taking a giant leap forward in its Silver Jubilee year by rolling out pan-India 4G services on an indigenous 4G/5G-ready core.
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