According to Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Telecommunications and IT, the government plans to invest Rs 50 billion to set up over 8,000 telecom towers in the northeastern region.

Earlier, the Telecom Commission had approved the proposal to enhance connectivity in the northeast by expanding telecom infrastructure in the region. The government will put up the proposal to improve telecom connectivity in the northeast before cabinet for its approval.

Meanwhile, state-run companies Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited and Power Grid Corporation of India Limited will be responsible for enhancing telecom connectivity in the region.

In 2013, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had recommended an investment plan to improve services in northeast region. The regulator had suggested extending a two per cent discount on annual license fees for the operators covering at least 80 per cent of habitations with a population of 250,  along with subsidies for installation of solar power units at telecom tower sites. In addition, TRAI also recommended investments to provide seamless connectivity across national highways in the northeastern region covering Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.