Shillong, July 6: If everything goes as planned, nearly 8,621 villages in the northeastern states would be connected by 2G telephony network by September next year under a comprehensive development plan of the Union government.

Interacting with reporters here today, chief general manager of BSNL (NE circle-1), D.P. Singh, said the project of Rs 5336.18 crore had been approved by the Centre under a plan aimed at providing telephony network in remote areas.

"Under the project, 8,621 villages would be accessible to telephony network and the project is expected to be commissioned by September 2017," Singh said.

He said this includes 2G mobile coverage in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam's Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts at Rs 1,975.38 crore, 2G coverage in other areas of the northeastern region at Rs 2,794.07 crore and 2G coverage on national highways of the Northeast at Rs 270.13 crore, besides Rs 295.97 crore for providing reliable transmission network at the state capital and district headquarters of the northeastern region.

Singh said after a deal was inked with Power Grid Corporation India Ltd (PGCIL), the BSNL would depend on the electricity transmission lines of states in the Northeast for implementing an uninterrupted broadband Internet network in the region.

The region will see massive changes in Internet connectivity through a 10GB bandwidth Internet connectivity leased from Submarine Cable Company in Bangladesh's Cox Bazar area, he added.

"The proposed bandwidth will connect Internet users of the region and the country not through the optical fibre network, but through high-tension electricity line of the PGCIL," Singh said.

The BSNL (NE circle-1) chief also informed that optical fibre has disadvantages as it regularly snaps due to various development work like building of roads and other infrastructure which led to disruption of Internet connection.

"The case is different through high-tension electricity lines as such problem may not occur. The high- tension electricity lines do not often snap and they sometimes have no problems, on an average, for 10 years, and we are taking the aerial route," Singh observed.

The BSNL is hiring 220 GBPS from the PGCIL of which Meghalaya's share would be 120 GB, Mizoram 40 GB and Tripura 60 GB.

According to the BSNL, the proposed bandwidth would reach only the state capitals.

To ensure that the Internet bandwidth is distributed to the subdivisional headquarters and other rural areas in the region, the BSNL is now requesting the respective state electricity companies to lease their transmission network.