Govt to set up 8,000 towers in North-East

In a bid to improve telecom services in the northeastern states, the government will invest Rs 5,000 crore to set up over 8,000 mobile towers in the region. Minister of Communications and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad said improving telecom connectivity in the north east is one of the top priorities of the government. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had last year recommended an investment plan to improve services in north east India. TRAI recommended a two per cent discount on licence fees for telecom operators that cover at least 80 per cent of habitations with a population of 250 and subsidies for installation of solar units at telecom towers. The regulator recommended investments to provide seamless connectivity across national highways.