In tech-savvy Karnataka, 869 villages devoid of telecom services

BENGALURU: The number of internet connections may have surged in Karnataka but thousands of villagers still can’t book gas cylinders using mobiles or check their balance without visiting the bank. Reason: They have no access to tele-connectivity.

On April 6, there was a death in a remote village in rural Sullia, Dakshina Kannada. With the only mobile tower not functioning, and no other telephone facility, Venkataramana had to spend his hard-earned money to get the BSNL tower to work so he could relay the message of his father’s death to relatives outside the village.