Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is gearing up to unveil its 4G services nationwide from August, aligning with the government’s “Atmanirbhar” policy. According to official sources, the telecom giant aims to leverage entirely indigenous technology for this expansive rollout.
During the trial phase, BSNL officials clocked peak speeds of 40-45 megabits per second on the 4G network, utilising premium spectrum bands such as 700 megahertz (MHz) and 2,100 MHz.
BSNL has already initiated 4G services in Punjab, utilising domestically developed technology by IT company TCS and a consortium led by state-run telecom research organisation C-DoT. This initiative has attracted approximately 800,000 subscribers in the region.
A senior government official informed that the C-DoT core network, operational in Punjab since last July, showcased remarkable performance within a shorter timeframe than usual. Typically, such intricate technology takes a year to stabilise. BSNL intends to introduce this Atmanirbhar 4G technology nationwide by August.
The core network, described by telecom regulator Trai as a vital infrastructure comprising hardware, devices, and software for essential telecommunication services, forms the backbone of this initiative.
BSNL has allocated contracts worth approximately Rs 19,000 crore to TCS, Tejas Networks, and government-owned ITI for deploying the 4G network, with future upgradability to 5G.
During a recent earnings call, Tejas Networks’ Executive Director and COO Arnob Roy highlighted the ongoing deployment of BSNL’s mobile network across various zones, integrating equipment with the existing core infrastructure where C-DoT core is not yet accessible.
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BSNL is currently in the process of setting up 112,000 towers to support 4G and 5G services across India. According to a BSNL official, over 9,000 towers for 4G services have already been installed nationwide, with more than 6,000 towers active in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, UP West, and Haryana circles.
It’s noteworthy that BSNL has been issuing 4G-capable SIMs for the past 4-5 years. Customers using older SIM cards will need to upgrade to avail of the enhanced services.