PIB TrackerVillages without 4G fall from 45,180 to 11,372
DoT says villages without 4G are down nearly 75 per cent since 2022; BSNL has commissioned 18,291 of 24,680 planned saturation sites, and 26,000 more sites are sanctioned for the next phase.
What happened
- DoT reports that villages without 4G fell by nearly 75 per cent, from 45,180 in 2022 to 11,372 in 2026.
- The 4G Saturation Project was designed to cover 24,680 unconnected villages; BSNL has commissioned 18,291 sites under the plan.
- In October 2026 these sites served up to 10,21,048 active users in a day, with 1.86 crore GB of data used (18.3 GB per user).
- On average each site serves about 56 active users.
- The Government has sanctioned 26,000 more mobile network sites for the next phase, to cover the remaining gaps.
For Prelims
- 4G Saturation Project: a DoT project to bring 4G to previously unconnected villages, rolled out by BSNL; planned for 24,680 villages, with 18,291 BSNL sites commissioned.
- Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN): the successor to the Universal Service Obligation Fund (set up with effect from 1 April 2002) under the Telecommunications Act, 2023; it supports telecom access in underserved rural, remote and urban areas.
- What DBN funds: BharatNet, the 4G Saturation Project and mobile services in uncovered areas of Aspirational Districts, Left Wing Extremism areas, Himalayan and border areas, islands and the North East.
- Towers on air: 24,784 towers under DBN-funded mobile projects as on 30 June 2026, covering 35,022 villages and locations, according to PIB.
- Coverage drop: 45,180 villages without 4G in 2022 and 11,372 in 2026, a fall of 33,808 or nearly 75 per cent.
- Data use: 1.86 crore GB (18,659,170 GB) in October 2026 across BSNL's saturation sites, about 18.3 GB per user for the month.
- Next phase: 26,000 additional sites are sanctioned; DoT lists remote, tribal and aspirational regions, network sharing and better use of existing infrastructure as the way forward.
- Obstacles: difficult terrain, high infrastructure costs, scattered settlements and remote tribal habitations.
For UPSC: 4G Saturation Project (DoT, BSNL): 24,680 villages planned, 18,291 sites commissioned; villages without 4G down from 45,180 (2022) to 11,372 (2026); 26,000 more sites sanctioned.
What it is NOT: The release does not say how many villages the 4G Saturation Project has actually covered, since it uses 24,680 for both villages and sites. It gives no project cost, completion date or share of the 11,372 villages that fall in the next 26,000-site phase. The 18.3 GB average divides the month's data by the peak daily user count, not monthly users, and no speeds, outages or tariffs are given. It does not say how many of the 33,808 villages now covered were reached by private operators rather than BSNL.
For Mains
Syllabus: GS3.13 · GS2.10 · Linkage L1
Anchor
Digital services in health, banking and schooling assume a signal. Villages that private operators find unprofitable stay offline unless a public fund pays for the towers.
Substantiation (data)
Villages without 4G fell from 45,180 in 2022 to 11,372 in 2026. BSNL has commissioned 18,291 of 24,680 planned sites, and these carried 1.86 crore GB in October 2026 for up to 10,21,048 users a day.
Position
A universal-service fund that pays for towers in unviable areas is the right instrument, and traffic of about 56 active users per site shows demand once coverage exists.
Counterpoint
About 56 users per site is thin, which raises the cost per user and the risk of idle sites without backhaul and power. The release mixes villages and sites and does not say how many villages are actually covered.
Way forward
Report village-level coverage and uptime, fund backhaul and solar power for remote sites, enforce network sharing with private operators, prioritise tribal and aspirational districts, and audit the 26,000-site phase for need.
Conclusion
The fall to 11,372 villages shows the last mile is shrinking. The villages that remain are the costliest, so the next phase will test the fund's design more than the first.
Deploys into: Universal service and digital connectivity · Public sector telecom (BSNL) and Digital Bharat Nidhi · Rural digital inclusion and e-governance delivery · Aspirational districts and tribal habitations
Ministry of Communications · 2026-11-11 · PRID 2335141 · PIB source ↗