Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), the government led telecom operator was one of the telcos which was troubled by the intensive data tariff war. However, now it seems that the telco is taking great measures to solidify its position in the Indian telecom sector. The only thing left wrong with BSNL previously was its lack of 4G network, but now the telco has started to take some steps regarding this. In October last year, the telco was allotted the 2,100MHz spectrum and BSNL has also begun pilot testing its services in the Idukki district of Kerala over 3G airwaves which is one of the most important circles for BSNL. The telco is also pilot testing 4G in districts of Gujarat as well. To spread the word about BSNL 4G, the government led telco is also providing free data on a SIM upgrade. Recently, the telco also started issuing 4G SIM cards in Chennai circle. As part of the 4G SIM upgrade offer, BSNL is providing 2GB of data to every customer who purchase the 4G USIM card for Rs 20.
BSNL 4G services are going to be started in Gandhidham and Anjar towns in Gujarat state w.e.f. November 26, 2018. As a part of this spectrum realignment utilisation (see table below for reference), 3G will not work after this but 2G will keep working on all handsets. We have also reported some speed test results earlier which indicated speeds above 20 Mbps shared by our readers.
BSNL 4G USIM Upgrade
Customers can upgrade their existing 2G/3G SIM to a 4G SIM and experience 4G services. So if you have an old SIM card, the chances are that you’ll end up latching on BSNL’s 2G or 3G network. To avoid that, you can head over to any BSNL’ office in the region to avail a BSNL 4G SIM card. BSNL is also offering 2GB free data for users upgrading to a 4G SIM card, something which we have seen private telcos doing the same in the past.
BSNL 4G Services are Also Available in Nagpur Rural Area, Bhiwapur and Vijayawada
Earlier in October 2018, Chief General Manager, Telecom (CGMT), AP Circle, A Purnachandra Rao, launched the 4G services in Andhra Pradesh Circle. The first 4G tower was commissioned in Nunna (in Vijayawada) and by November-end, 2018, 4G services are said to be made available in 46 towns across the State. Addressing the gathering at the time of 4G launch, CGMT, AP Circle, said “BSNL has 63 lakh mobile customers and 5.80 lakh landline connections in AP. The company has targeted to install 1200 Wi-Fi connections soon. Also, 1700 4G towers and 1240 3G towers are planned this year.
BSNL 4G Commercial Launch Awaited
It has been a few months since BSNL's testing of 4G services in various parts of the country. At the moment, the 4G user base of BSNL is very limited which could be the reason why users are experiencing high-speed data of over 20 Mbps. Talking about the commercial launch, we might see it happen only in the first half of 2019, subjected its the spectrum allotment happens on time.
Input ref. for Gandhidham and Anjar: Anjan Bala
