Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has announced that it has achieved the milestone of 1000 4G sites under the saturation project. With the saturation project, BSNL wants to cover the rural or uncovered villages with high-speed internet connectivity. The state-run telecom company is deploying a homegrown 4G technology stack. The network core is being provided by the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT), while the radio gear is by Tejas Networks, and TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) is acting as the systems integrator. TCS will also maintain the networks for BSNL.
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For the unaware, the central government announced the 4G saturation project to cover uncovered villages (a total of 24,680 villages) at the cost of Rs 26,316 crore. The aim was to deliver high-speed connectivity to users living in backward areas. The government is funding this project through the USOF (Universal Service Obligation Fund).
Apart from this, BSNL is also upgrading around 1 lakh sites throughout India with 4G. The government wants BSNL to launch homegrown 4G and 5G. The spectrum has already been reserved for BSNL via the multiple relief packages announced in the last five years.
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To fast-track the 4G rollout and ensure accountability, Jyotiraditya Scindia, the new telecom minister of India, announced that BSNL will have daily 4G rollout targets. The progress will be tracked by the minister and the telecom secretary. The delays have caused plenty of pain for BSNL. The state-run telco has been losing customers rapidly and it is only the next generation networks that can save its fate. The government is running promotional schemes to elevate the status of BSNL, however, whether it pans out successfully for or not for the company will only be known with time.
