Sikkim, one of the tiniest and youngest members of the Indian union, has earned the distinction of being a state with the highest mobile phone density in the country.

The number of mobile phone users in this small Himalayan state is over 30 per cent of the state's total population, the highest in the country, M K Seth, general manager, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, Gangtok, told reporters in Gangtok on Thursday.

The development has been witnessed despite the fact that the BSNL took up the task of providing mobile coverage in Sikkim less than two years ago, fighting several odds including a resource crunch and the natural calamities like frequent landslides associated with the state's difficult hilly terrain, he added.

Seth attributed this mainly to the techno-savvy nature of an average Sikkimese which keeps drawing them constantly to the modern gadgets in telecommunication and the steps taken by BSNL in the last five years to provide quality service to its customers.

About 1,000 km area of this hill state has been covered under mobile network in less than two years, he said, adding the number of telephone exchanges across the state is eight times more than when he took over five years ago.

For value addition to its mobile services in the state, BSNL will soon start giving broad band and Global Positioning System service to its mobile users.

The BSNL's state unit has recently set up the highest ever satellite PCO at Nathula at an altitude of 15,400 feet which will soon be formally inaugurated by the chief general manager of the West Bengal Telecom Circle S K Chakraborty, he said.

He, however, expressed concern over the huge outstandings to the tune of Rs 10 crore (Rs 100 million) due from the government and private subscribers in Sikkim which has put the corporation in a tight spot.

While legal notices have already been served to the defaulters, the corporation was also in the process of filing money suits against them, he added.
(PTI)