Andrew Bonwick
Vice President of Product Development at Relm Insurance
Madhav Sheth
CEO of Ai+ Smartphone
Varun Kashyap & Sridevi Reddy
Co-Founders, Zithara.ai
Transforming Indian Offline Retail and Customer Engagement Using AI


Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has been working to roll out indigenous 4G for a long time in India. The state-run telco would beat Airtel, Jio and Vodafone Idea (Vi) in bringing the widest indigenous 4G network in the country. What would be even more special for BSNL is that it would be able to upgrade to 5G with homegrown technology as well. Thus, unlike the private telcos, who have been working with European telecom gear vendors, BSNL wouldn’t have to rely on anyone when it comes to rolling out 5G.
BSNL’s 4G is expected to launch in the second half of 2023. The telco confirmed this via a tweet a few weeks back. There are also reports that thousands of villages will be getting 4G network services from BSNL in the near future. If BSNL is able to launch 4G and 5G, it can make a huge difference in the Indian market. Here are some things that BSNL can change forever.
Read More – 5G Near Airports: DoT Talking with DGCA and MCA
BSNL Could Uproot the Competition
BSNL isn’t likely going to be the first option for many consumers; however, due to its affordable nature, it could make for a great option as a secondary SIM card for many users. Especially when the private telcos are looking to raise tariffs, BSNL can make a big difference by offering lower-priced services. This would help in the digital push as more people would be able to access affordable mobile services.
BSNL could eat up the low-paying market share of all the private telecom operators. It would also enable the private telcos to keep high-paying customers, something that Airtel wants to do. The more high-paying customers that the private telcos have, the better will be their average revenue per user (ARPU) per month figure.