State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has reportedly issued a tender, inviting original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to deploy indigenous 5G commercial services across 1,876 sites in the Delhi circle. The Delhi circle will have a primary 5G-as-a-Service Provider (5GaaSP), and a secondary 5GaaSP, as per the tender, according to an ET report.
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BSNL 5G Network Capabilities
BSNL plans to launch its 5G services using the 900 MHz low-band for coverage and the 3.5 GHz mid-band for capacity. The public sector telco aims to deliver enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), voice, video, data, SMS, ultra-reliable low-latency communications (uRLLC), massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) services, and network slicing through its 5G network.
Revenue-Share Model
"BSNL intends to deploy 5G services on "Network as a service" model on a revenue share basis in Delhi LSA with CAPEX and OPEX on the part of the selected bidder," BSNL reportedly said in the tender. Bidder refers to the "5G as a Service Provider (5GaaSP)".
"The primary 5GaaSP shall deploy one 5G SA core and 5G-RAN from, up to two OEMs. The secondary 5GaaSP shall deploy up to two OEMs of 5G-RAN," it reportedly said.
Technical Specifications
Per the technical specifications, the 5G Core network must initially support 1 Lakh registered subscribers, with infrastructure—including the Core and Radio Access Network (RAN)—compliant with 3GPP Release 15 and above and aligned with Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC) standards.
"The bidder shall plan, design, supply/deploy equipment and manage operation of the 5G network in the assigned territory of the LSA," BSNL has reportedly said in the tender, adding that the bidder should meet deployment timelines, minimum roll out requirement, and consistently meet the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) performance benchmarks while operating the network.
The document also specifies that any modifications to BSNL towers required for additional 5G antennas and equipment will be the bidder's responsibility, including covering associated costs. Regarding revenue share, BSNL will share earnings from both 5G mobile and fixed broadband services.
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Eligibility Criteria
The eligibility criteria specify that a bidder, or a consortium with an OEM for 5G Core/RAN, must have an average annual turnover of Rs 50 crore over the last three financial years (FY22, FY23, and FY24).
For bidders or consortium partners from countries sharing a land border with India, participation is allowed only if they are registered with the competent authority.
Contract Duration and Revenue-Share Priority
Additionally, the successful bidder must provide a Performance Bank Guarantee (PBG) of Rs 3 crore. Bids for the tender are due by November 22, and bidders must submit an earnest money deposit (EMD)/bid security of Rs 50 lakh.
The contract duration will be seven years from the commissioning date of the 5G network. After that, BSNL reserves the right to extend the contract for an additional three years or more on mutually agreed terms. The bidders offering BSNL the highest revenue share will be prioritised for contract award, the report said.
