These villagers in Madhya Pradesh climb trees to catch mobile signal

In Madhya Pradesh’s Salri village, making a phone call is anything but simple.

Transcript

00:00These villagers climb trees to access the mobile phone network.

00:07In Salari, Madhya Pradesh, people are touching new heights, literally.

00:16Whether it's checking on a loved one in hospital or speaking to a family member far away,

00:21people here say they are forced to climb trees, rooftops or even travel out of the village to catch a single bar of signal.

00:26It's not just about phone calls. Students here are missing out on online education, disconnected from learning due to poor connectivity.

00:44I am a student of the college and I have online classes.

00:48But I can't take online classes here because there is a lot of network.

00:52We have to take a room to go to the hospital.

00:56We have to attend classes from there.

00:58If we go outside, we can get delayed.

01:03Locals gather in small groups at select signal points.

01:13These are the areas in the village where a weak signal may appear.

01:16Phones held up, eyes on the screen, hoping to connect.

01:19India may be on a digital sprint, but places like Salari are stuck in a network black hole.

01:24Until connectivity reaches villages like Salari, the promise of a truly digital India remains incomplete.