The public sector Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has chalked out an ambitious plan to provide communication facility to remote unserved areas in the backward Prakasam district.
The western part of the district abutting the Nallamalla forests have been lacking in proper communication facility, hurting development as a result.
With a directive from the Union government to reach out to people of each and every habitation, the telecom authorities in the district had identified as many as 79 villages in the mandals of Yerragondapalem, Giddalur, Cumbum, Ardhaveedu, Peddaraveedu, Adhaveedu, Racherla, and Kumarole for creating new cell sites, revealed its General Manager B. Chandrasena in a conversation with The Hindu .
“On getting a green signal from the Department of Telecommunications (DOT), we will go ahead with installation of cell towers,” she added.
‘Number of 3G cell sites will be increased’
“We are going to set up about 40 new cell sites to ensure hassle-free calling for customers, especially in Western Prakasam district,” she said, adding that all mandal headquarters in the region would be covered to start with. The number of 3G cell sites would be increased from the present 85 to 120 to ensure better Internet access and broadband penetration, the basic requirement for economic growth. Ten of the new 3G cell sites would come up in the coastal mandals, she added.
‘Broadband quality improved’
Partnering China’s ZTE Corporation, a major global player in the fields of telecommunications equipment and network solutions, the BSNL had improved the quality of broadband services to its customers in the coastal region and geared itself up to provide multiple services in the future. BSNL had also moved to Internet Protocol (IP)-based next generation networks (NGNs) switches to provide improved voice quality and broadband experience, she added.
Complaint redressal
She wanted BSNL customers to compulsorily call toll-free 198 for quick redressal of their complaints, which were being monitored at different levels including at the circle and corporate levels.
“We are working also on Sundays to attend to customers complaints,” she said while making a mention of the customers’ grouse of not getting proper response to their complaints, especially during weekends.
