SRINAGAR: Despite recent investments in digital infrastructure, mobile and internet services in remote areas of Ladakh continue to face severe network congestion, particularly along heavily trafficked zones like the Nimmu-Padam-Darcha (NPD) road. This was acknowledged in a written response in the Lok Sabha on August 6, where the Union Government detailed ongoing and future initiatives to improve digital connectivity in the region.
Responding to a question raised by Ladakh MP Mohmad Haneefa, the Ministry of Communications admitted that while the official quality of service benchmarks had been met across the Jammu and Kashmir License Service Area — which includes Ladakh — congestion persists in regions such as the 144 RCC Neyraks Village. The area has witnessed a surge in population due to labour settlements, GREF camps, and the increased movement of vehicles and tourists along the strategic NPD road.
Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, Dr Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, stated that as per the June 2025 Performance Monitoring Report by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), all telecom operators in the region had met the mandated quality standards. However, he also outlined a series of initiatives under the Centre’s flagship Digital Bharat Nidhi (formerly the Universal Service Obligation Fund) to further address gaps in rural and border connectivity.
These include the BharatNet project, which has already made all 193 Gram Panchayats in Ladakh service-ready through satellite connectivity. In addition, the Amended BharatNet Programme (ABP) aims to upgrade existing digital networks and extend connectivity to an additional 42,000 gram panchayats and nearly 3.8 lakh non-GP villages across India, including demand-based connectivity in Ladakh.
Crucially, the Centre has commissioned 175 new mobile towers in uncovered and remote villages of Ladakh under the 4G Saturation Project, aimed at expanding voice and data services in the most inaccessible parts of the country. These towers are expected to support essential services, education, tourism, and emergency communication, especially in border and tribal areas where traditional infrastructure deployment remains difficult.
However, the government did not announce any new dedicated telecom development package specifically for Ladakh, instead clubbing it with national-level schemes designed for hilly, border, and tribal regions.
The statement comes at a time when digital connectivity in Ladakh is seen as vital for tourism management, student access to online education, and military logistics. With border villages witnessing increased strategic importance and tourism hotspots like Zanskar growing in popularity, local leaders and residents have repeatedly called for stable and high-bandwidth internet access as a basic necessity.
