Centre to achieve 80 million telecom subscribers by 2010

Shillong, Nov 23 (UNI) The Centre has set a target to achieve 80 million rural subscribers by 2010.

An official release of Information Technology department has embarked upon a programme to set up 100,000 Community Service Centres (CSCs) for e-governance requirements of 600,000 villages across the country in a phased manner.

The government had launched a Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) scheme for setting up and managing 631 infrastructure sites spread over 70 districts in North-Eastern states for providing mobile services including other Wireless Access Services (WAS) in remote areas, where there is no existing fixed wireless or mobile coverage.

The statement stated that the government had also approved a scheme for providing support for establishing 100,000 Broadband, Internet enabled, Common Services Centres (CSCs) in rural areas across the country.

The department would implement the scheme in a public private partnership mode.

The support for the North-East for this scheme has been pegged at 75 per cent of the normative value as against national value of 33 per cent.

UNI