The government plans to launch a scheme to provide public telephone to 50,000 new villages to include all villages in the country.

The department of telecom (DoT) may sign agreements with telecom provider Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) regarding this. The scheme will include villages with population less than 100 and those left out earlier. Village public telephones (VPTs) will be set up in these villages with subsidy from the DoT's universal service obligation (USO) fund. Installation of telephones is estimated to be completed by the end of 2009.

An earlier scheme, the Bharat Nirman programme, by the government to provide telephone facility to 66822 villages has already covered 54700 villages. The remaining villages will be covered by the end of this year. Villages excluded under this scheme include villages with population less than 100, those in forest areas and those affected by riots.

The government is providing nearly 5000 remotely located villages with VPT using satellite technology, digital satellite phone terminals (DSPTs). The highest number of villages covered so far under the scheme is from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

BSNL has provided telephones to 550,000 villages all over the country and has also provided broadband connections to 30,500 villages.  X