Ladakh residents seek high-speed internet

Jammu, February 13

Facing network issues, Ladakh people residing close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and Line of Control (LOC) have been demanded high speed internet.

China ahead

Most of the villages on the Chinese side along the LAC have 5G connectivity. On this side, even 4G connection is rare. Konchok Stanzin, Chushul Councillor

Students are left with no option but to travel miles to reach network areas and attend online classes where they get 4G internet. Residents have urged several times to the government, but nothing concrete has been done, they say.

Konchok Stanzin, Chushul Councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), said most of the villages on Chinese side along the LAC had 5G connectivity, but even 4G connection was rare on this side of the border.

He said a tower with 4G connectivity by a private company was installed in October last year in Chushul after much effort. “There are 11 more villages in the Chushul constituency. Amid no 4G tower, people have to suffer a lot,” he said.

While there is a buzz about digital banking in the country, most of the remote areas in Ladakh do not even have basic internet facility. Only four 4G mobile towers were installed in Pibiting, Padum, Akshow and Abran in Zanskar in 2020. Many remote areas in Ladakh are even without mobile towers. Recently, a delegation led by Nambardar Abdul Majid from Turtuk, the village along LoC with Pakistan, demanded repair of the existing BSNL tower and replacement of its battery from Lt Governor of Ladakh RK Mathur.

Mobile connectivity is strategically important for the locals as they are the first line of vigil who immediately informs the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Army about any incursion by the Chinese troops along LAC in the region.