As part of efforts to ensure effective coordination between field level functionaries deployed on health duties especially in areas having coronavirus patients and headquarters, the State government has decided to provide 4G SIM cards with postpaid connections to 25,000 Asha workers at village level and 4,000 sub-centre level ANM staff.
The decision comes in the wake of network related problems encountered in accessing the data from villages by the headquarters. Amid fears of a third wave of COVID later this year, the government has decided to ensure that there are no problems related to connectivity and data uploads.
The Telangana State Technology Services had called for e-procurement bids on behalf of the Health Commissioner from telecom operators for providing postpaid 4G SIM cards (with all the three slots general, micro and nano) with data, voice calls and SMS. The last date for submission of the bids through e-procurement portal is May 24 and they would be opened on the same day.
The bids come in the light of the fact that Asha workers were presently using their individual mobile phones and ANM staff were having Android based (TABS) devices without MDM using 2G/3G CUG SIM connections with data.
Network availability has become a challenge in remote tribal areas from where the Asha workers and ANMs should send beneficiary data to the headquarters. Accordingly, it was decided to identify telecom service provider with 4G network availability in all the centres. A rate contract if required would be formed with the service providers matching the L1 price. The identified service provider should provide voice calling through 2G and 3G/4G / LTE network so that unavailability of 4G network would result in falling back to use 3G and/ or 2G network for voice calling.
Data (internet) speed at 4G / LTE should also be provided. In case 4G / LTE speed is not available in a particular area, the service provider will ensure data (internet) fall back on 3G automatically. The network strength of the particular location would be checked and feedback would be obtained from the field officers. Based on the feedback, order for the SIM cards for that particular location would be issued.
