Poor mobile connectivity irks Lahaul villagers

Kwaring village, located in Tod Valley of tribal district Lahaul and Spiti, has been facing mobile network connectivity issue, leaving its residents frustrated and helpless. According to the residents of Kwaring village, the BSNL had installed a mobile tower in the area, but the signal remains unavailable.

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Sonam, a resident of this village, said, “The residents, including women’s groups and villagers, have repeatedly expressed their concerns over the lack of signal. They had high hopes when the BSNL set up their tower. After several calls to the authorities concerned, they were promised signal within a few weeks, a promise that was yet to be fulfilled. The delay in service is leaving the villagers feeling disappointed.”

“Since the mobile tower was installed in the area by the BSNL, villagers have stuck to BSNL SIM cards, hoping that the service will eventually be activated. They have refrained from switching to other networks, preserving their balance in anticipation of BSNL’s success in providing the required signal. However, the situation remains unchanged and Kwaring is the only village left in the area without proper mobile service,” he remarked.

“While neighbouring villages, such as Kolong, have the service of Airtel and Jio with their respective towers, the signals from these networks to Kwaring village are extremely weak, making it difficult to establish proper communication. Even for those whose families live outside the valley, reaching them requires either standing near a window or walking to the Kolong village area to catch a signal. Unfortunately, weak signals lead to poor call quality,” said another resident Rigzin Samphel Heyreppa.

The villagers have raised concern that telecom companies, especially the BSNL, implement their plans without considering the local terrain or consulting the residents. These companies seem to proceed with projects in a manner that disregards the unique geographical challenges of Tod Valley. As a result, the residents often end up with poor or no service.