State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is set to launch 4G services in the country soon. The telecom company has reportedly completed trials in all circles. In early August, BSNL reported building over 15,000 4G sites under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. Now, BSNL has achieved another 4G milestone, having set up around 25,000 4G towers across the country.
Also Read: BSNL Reports Building Over 15,000 4G Sites
BSNL 4G Trials
BSNL is expected to launch its much-awaited 4G services for customers sometime in October 2024, according to a report by The New Indian Express, which cited a senior BSNL official.
According to the report, BSNL has so far set up around 25,000 4G towers across India, and the trial results for BSNL 4G have been quite satisfactory. Additionally, BSNL has been encouraging its users to swap or upgrade to a 4G SIM so that they can enjoy BSNL's 4G services.
"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," said the senior official, according to the report.
Support for BSNL 4G Rollout
While private telecom providers such as Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio are live with 5G services, and Vodafone Idea is working to improve 4G coverage gaps and enhance its 4G network, BSNL has primarily been offering 2G and 3G services, with 4G available in some areas on a limited scale.
A consortium led by the Tata group, including Tejas Networks and the government-backed C-DoT, is providing the necessary equipment and technology for the rollout of BSNL's 4G services.
Also Read: BSNL Launches 4G, 5G-Ready OTA and USIM Platform for Enhanced Services
Earlier, BSNL also rolled out pilot 4G services using indigenously developed technology, onboarding around 800,000 subscribers. BSNL has set a target to deploy 100,000 towers across India for 4G and 5G services, and the company is currently working towards this goal.
