Providing connection even in the remote places of India is one of the unique advantages of state-owned telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) (also because it’s a strategic asset of the government). This time around the telco has worked day and night in sub-zero degree temperature to bring high-speed 4G connectivity in the newly constructed Atal tunnel in Rohtang.
BSNL has installed three 4G base transceiver stations (BTSs) in the Atal Tunnel. Thus the telco can offer high-speed connectivity (with speed up to 20 to 25 mbps) in the 9.02 Kms long tunnel.
The 9.02 kilometres Rohtang Tunnel dubbed as Atal Tunnel (after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had announced the project on June 3, 2000) is being built at height of 13,051 ft which is 3,000 metres above sea level connecting Himachal Pradesh’s Manali and Leh in Ladakh.
Once the tunnel opens up for the public, it can cut short 474 KM road distance between Manali and Leh by 46KM. Thus the eight-hour-long journey can be cut short by around two-and-a-half hours. It could also enable the public to travel between Manali and Leh throughout the year. Typically the Manali – Sarchu – Leh road closes down for six months every year due to heavy snow in the Rohtang Pass. This tunnel also has strategic importance, as it can accelerate our troop mobility to strategic frontiers in Jammu and Kashmir.