Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), an Indian state-run telecom operator, has reached a 4G subscriber base of 8 lakh. It is very close to a million figure and would reach there as time passes. BSNL is currently rolling out 4G and is working with Indian companies to deploy it. The overall deployment is expected to take between 18 to 24 months. According to a BusinessStandard report, a senior Department of Telecommunications (DoT) official said that BSNL's 4G subscriber base has reached 8 lakh in the initial phase of the 4G launch across Northern states including Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and western Uttar Pradesh.
Read More - BSNL Waives Installation Charge for Broadband Until FY25
A TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) led consortium including Tejas Networks and Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) is deploying 4G for BSNL. TCS is playing the role of system integrator (SI), Tejas Networks is providing the RAN (Radio Access Network) equipment, and C-DoT is offering the core.
The network core from C-DoT is yet to be deployed. It will be deployed in the western, eastern, and southern regions by August. The nationwide 4G rollout or launch from BSNL is expected to take place around the festive season and that will be further followed by the introduction of 5G services within the next 12 months.
Read More - BSNL 60 Mbps Plan is Likely One of the Best OTT Bundled Plans Available
At present, according to the report, BSNL has deployed 3500 4G towers. As that number reaches 20,000 figure, BSNL will aim for a PAN-India commercial launch of 4G services. The RAN that BSNL is deploying is easily upgradable to 5G. BSNL's subscriber market share is falling continuously due to a lack of high-speed networks and affordable network services from the private telcos. The telco is trying to lure more customers towards its 4G networks by offering free 4G SIM and bonus data offers.
