BSNL plans to invest Rs 2.2 billion in Himachal Pradesh to increase its service area through an elaborate network of optic fibre cable and provide telecom services through WLL in the state's difficult mountain terrain. The company plans to lay 700 km of optic fibrein the state, which already has 970 digital telephone exchanges and a customer base of over 500,000. Meanwhile, talks have taken place with the state government to implement the statewide area network to facilitate e-governance in the state. The PSU also plans to provide interconnectivity among various hospitals, besides providing e-education.