Agartala, September 26: The pace of 5G expansion and weak mobile connectivity in Tripura’s border areas came under scrutiny at a Telecom Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting on Friday, with West Tripura Lok Sabha MP Biplab Kumar Deb urging BSNL to strengthen its network infrastructure across the state.
Deb raised the issues during the TAC meeting at BSNL headquarters in Kaman Chowmuhani, Agartala, where he reviewed various concerns related to telecom services, including infrastructure, network expansion, customer service and employment generation.
He said BSNL’s connectivity in border regions needs particular attention, citing gaps in domestic mobile coverage in several stretches. According to Deb, Indian SIM cards fail to provide service for nearly 10 kilometres in some border areas, while signals from Bangladesh-based mobile networks reportedly extend up to 15 kilometres inside Indian territory.
The MP said such gaps can leave residents of border villages without dependable communication facilities. He also pointed to the requirements of security agencies working in sensitive areas, stressing that stronger domestic telecom networks are necessary to support communication and investigative activities.
Deb urged BSNL to expand the number of telecom towers along the international border. He said improved coverage would benefit local communities and enable security agencies to access call records and other relevant telecom data when required during investigations.
He said Tripura’s long international boundary and challenging terrain made it necessary to give greater priority to telecom infrastructure in remote and vulnerable locations.
The MP also reviewed the status of issues raised in earlier TAC meetings. Infrastructure development, customer service, employment generation and network expansion were among the matters discussed. Deb said the meeting would help identify pending issues and determine which ones require further intervention at the central government level.
On 5G services, Deb acknowledged the expansion of BSNL’s 4G network across Tripura but questioned whether the rollout of the next-generation service was progressing at the required pace.
He said the speed and geographical reach of 5G services remained a concern and sought an explanation from BSNL officials on the reasons for the slower-than-expected expansion. He said the matter would be formally taken up to ascertain the current status of 5G deployment and the measures being planned to improve coverage.
Deb also referred to the earlier restrictions on international roaming in parts of the Northeast, which had been introduced amid insurgency-related concerns. He said the restrictions were eventually lifted, although the process took time, and the situation has since improved.
Rajya Sabha MP Rajib Bhattacharjee and senior BSNL officials attended the TAC meeting, which also discussed existing infrastructure shortcomings and possible measures to improve telecom services in Tripura.
The discussions brought renewed attention to the communication challenges faced by people in the state’s border and hilly regions. Deb said stronger telecom infrastructure is needed to improve connectivity for residents while addressing the communication requirements of strategically sensitive areas.
