SHILLONG: After a meeting with the Meghalaya State Planning Board, the Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited(RJIL) on Tuesday announced its plan to lay optical fibers and provide internet connection to 30 community and rural development blocks in the first phase.
The plan of RJIL is to provide 4G connection in Meghalaya. The private cellular service provider informed that under the first phase it would be covering 30 out of 39 C&RD blocks and about 890 Villages of Meghalaya.
It also has separate plans to provide Wifi enabled services to 120 colleges in North East which includes 25 in Meghalaya, and hoped that these plans would be put in place in a period of three years, provided they facilitated the logistics.
The representatives of Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL) made a detailed presentation and shared its plans and ongoing work relating to 4G Communication in the Country, North East and in particular Meghalaya, withthe Working Group-3 of State Planning Board, presided over by John F Kharshiing, co-chairman of Planning Board here.
The meeting was part of the ongoing review of the challenges in the rural sector especially in the implementation of MGNREGA, health care, education, delivery services to citizens and to understand, address and recommend to the state government adequate steps in tackling the communication problems in the state.
After detailed presentation and discussions, (RJIL) informed the State Planning Board, that while infrastructure was 90% complete elsewhere, there is 64% progress in Meghalaya prior to 4G launch nationwide.
The presentation of Reliance Jio said that it had faced challenges in getting sites to install towers, which was one of the causes for call drops and poor connectivity. They also shared information that recently Mizoram Government had proposed allowing private cellular operators to utilize government buildings under certain conditions to facilitate Wifi-enabled services. They also expressed their desire to provide Wifi-enabled services to important locations of Meghalaya for the benefit of the citizens.
Reliance Jio (RJIL) officials informed that once the National Long Distance fiber optic cables and 4G services have been laid, the doctors located at remote Public Health Centers(PHC) would be able consult specialists anywhere in the country and provide effective health care services to the citizens.
A request was also made by Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (RJIL) to MeEPDCL for utilization of their High Transmission Towers in rough terrain.
The company also wanted more police infrastructure in the remote areas due to security constrains.
Kharshiing, informed the officials from RJIL that State Planning Board, was keen to follow up with all concerned to facilitate communication in all 39 C&RD blocks, and hoped that efforts to digitize India will provide important and necessary communication services to all the 6459 villages of Meghalaya (as per 2011 census).
