Har hath mein phone – but what about the network?

“In what could turn out to be its calling card for the 2014 general elections, the government is finalizing a Rs 7,000 crore scheme to give one mobile phone to every family living below the poverty line. Sources in the PMO said the scheme—Har Hath Mein Phone—expected to be announced by PM Manmohan Singh on August 15, will not only aim to give away mobiles to around six million BPL households, but also provide 200 minutes of free local talk time,” reports The Times of India. [caption id=“attachment_409977” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Getty Images[/caption] For the moment, forget about why each BPL family needs a phone. Will the phones work? For the mobile phones to have any utility value whatsoever, mobile operator networks will have to ensure coverage. Service providers have still not managed to cover urban and semi-urban areas— just think of the last time you went to Goa to remember how poor the coverage can be. The poor density of users in rural areas — where a large percentage of BPL families live — will not encourage operators to invest in mobile towers. So we will see 6 million households, all proud owners of mobile phones that are useless, as they will receive no signals. Before we worry about whether or not signals will be available, there’s a more basic problem with this hare-brained scheme. What about electricity? With no electricity, how will these phones be charged? Increasingly, political parties find it easier to dole out non-essentials such as TVs and other durables, build statues and monuments, and, in this case, give away free mobile phones rather than focus on delivering essentials such as water, food, housing and electricity. Forget about water, food, housing and electricity. Let the people talk.