India’s state-owned telecom company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has prepared itself to launch 4G services across the country. As per reports, the company could introduce fourth-generation connectivity by October 2024 deploying indigenous technology, according to a senior official of the company.
The move follows the company’s 4G trials over the months which have brought forth satisfying results.
BSNL has so far established 25,000 4G base stations across India. In a vital sign of this upcoming launch, the telco has already started issuing 4G SIM cards to customers.
“We have successfully trialed our 4G network in all circles and major cities, and the results have been promising. It is now time to launch our commercial 4G services. We will conduct a few more trials before formally launching the 4G services,” stated the senior official.
Intriguingly, BSNL is just planning to launch 4G in India. On the contrary, its private telco rivals such as Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio are extending 5G services. Till now, BSNL has provided 2G and 3G services to the customers. Compared to 4G, 5G delivers far more broadband capacity and offers low latency performance. Find more in 5G vs 4G.
As a result, the company has continued to lose customers to the affluent competitors. Stats has it that the company lost 18 million subscribers in 2023 which brought its customer base to 88.06 million.
In the meantime, BSNL was supposed to launch 4G earlier but the delay has caused further loss in its revenues as well as potential customers. Recently, following a tariff increase by Jio, thousands of users switched to BSNL. The state-owned company hasn’t been able to fully cash in on the opportunity.
Also read: Reliance Jio claims nationwide 5G coverage across India
BSNL to launch 4G across India using its Indigenous technology
The delay is largely due to the government’s directive that BSNL has to use the indigenous network for its 4G infrastructure. In recent years, the Indian government has promoted the use of home-grown native technology for telecommunication services which has been promptly followed by Airtel and Jio as well.
Reportedly, Tata Group will set up BSNL’s 4G sites throughout India while Tejas Networks and C-DoT will deliver the required telco gear.
So far, the company has launched a pilot 4G network in Punjab with its home-grown infrastructure developed by Tata Consultancy Services and C-DoT-led. Consequently, the company garnered 800,000 users.
The telco will deploy 1 lakh towers for 4G and 5G across the country.
BSNL’s 4G launch is seen with attention from the government as it’s an ambitious project.
In July, the Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia said that he is closely observing B SNL’s 4G progress
“We are forming a Project Management Unit (PMU) that will set daily targets, which will be monitored by the Secretary and myself. I assure you we are working to expedite the process,” said Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Since Jio’s 4G revolution in September 2016, BSNL has been on the losing end however, the state company now expects to turn around its luck and become a prominent telecom giant once again with its native gear-backed 4G service.