Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) should be upbeat after installing 97,068 4G sites to provide customers with reliable 4G connectivity. The better thing about this latest progress is that these new sites are 5G-ready, meaning they can be used to beam 5G services in a non-standalone network if it chooses to in the near future.
The latest batch of 4G site setup is part of an ongoing Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. Out of the 97,068 4G sites, 93,511 are On-Air as of October 31, 225.
The telco started procuring the 4G gears in September 2023. According to the Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, the gears are ready for 5G upgrade. “The equipment is 5G upgradable from a technology perspective. To further enhance the network infrastructure and service quality, BSNL is executing the various schemes of the government, such as 4G Saturation Scheme, Border Out Post/Border Intelligence, LWE Phase-I upgradation, etc.,” he added.
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The 4G to 5G upgrade
BSNL plans to upgrade its 4G sites to 5G in the next eight months. The company is in a race to find itself a prominent place amidst stiff competition from Jio and Airtel. So, it feels the need to resort to 5G as quickly as possible.
Its ambitions are also backed by improving revenue generation. In the first half of 2026, the telco brought in a revenue of ₹11,134 crore. The telco aims to post revenue of ₹27,500 crore in 2026. The extended 4G reach pan-India shall help with reaching that goal. And if it continues to make progress at the current rate, it might as well one day establish itself in the same league as the private telcos like Jio and Airtel.