Raja Syed Rather

Srinagar, Feb 04: The Government of India on Wednesday informed Parliament that BSNL has extended cellular connectivity to 4,489 out of 6,553 villages in Jammu and Kashmir, while efforts are underway to cover the remaining areas.

In a written reply to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha, the Union Ministry of Communications, according to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), stated: “BSNL is in the process of rolling out indigenously developed 4G services, which are technology-upgradable to 5G, under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.”

It said that BSNL has placed purchase orders for one lakh 4G sites for pan-India deployment. As on January 15, 2026, a total of 97,672 4G sites have been installed, out of which 95,511 sites are already operational across the country.

The ministry said BSNL continues to expand its network, including in Jammu and Kashmir, based on techno-commercial viability to improve coverage, especially in rural and remote areas.

To strengthen BSNL and make it competitive, the Centre has approved multiple revival packages, including Rs 69,000 crore in 2019, Rs 1.64 lakh crore in 2022, Rs 89,000 crore for allotment of 4G/5G spectrum in 2023, and an additional Rs 6,982 crore CAPEX support in 2025 for nationwide 4G rollout.

“As a result of these revival measures, BSNL has started earning operating profits from the financial year 2020–21,” the government said.

The Ministry added that network modernisation and expansion, including in Jammu and Kashmir, remains a priority to ensure reliable connectivity and strengthen BSNL’s presence as a public sector telecom operator—(KNO)