Bhubaneswar, Feb 8 (PTI) All urban areas in Odisha will get 5G connectivity by December, while 1,814 villages will get 4G network by that time, an official said on Wednesday.

In Odisha, 5G connectivity was launched on January 5 with services in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar through 510 BTSs (base terminal stations), Department of Telecom's deputy director-general BK Nayak said, adding that at present, 13 districts are being served with 5G services by Reliance Jio and nine districts by Airtel.

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"It is in the rollout phase now to cover all major cities by March 2023, and all cities and towns by December 2023," he said.

Total 1,814 villages in the state will be covered by 4G services at an approximate cost of Rs 2,000 crore with a target to complete the project by December, Nayak said.

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The project is being implemented by BSNL, he said.

So far, 42,425 villages have 2G, 3G and 4G services with 25,115 towers. The state has 3.32 crore subscribers, he said.

The telecom density in the state was 80 per cent against the national average of 85 per cent. "There are 7,113 villages without 4G service," Nayak said.

In Naxalism-hit areas, 483 4G towers were being set up in nine districts at a sanctioned cost of Rs 422 crores and the project is being implemented by Reliance Jio, he said.

The project will be completed by March next year and already 102 towers are in place, he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)