Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has deployed more than 1500 sites of 4G in UP (Uttar Pradesh) East circle. The UP East circle of BSNL made the announcement on August 17, 2024. BSNL is deploying homegrown 4G technology from TCS-led consortium, which includes Tejas Networks and C-DoT (Centre for Development of Telematics). BSNL has been making rapid progress with the deployment of 4G sites in several parts of the country. The state-run telecom operator recently announced that it completed the deployment of 25,000 4G sites.
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The company has a target to deploy 1 lakh 4G sites before the end of the current financial year (on March 31, 2025). The telecom minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia recently confirmed that BSNL has daily targets to deploy 4G sites and this target is personally monitored by him and the telecom secretary. BSNL's next milestone will be in October 2024 where the company has aimed to deploy 75,000 4G sites.
Given that BSNL didn't partake in the direct tariff hikes implemented by the private telecom operators, this deployment of 4G would make its plans even more attractive. The plans are cheaper right now but aren't necessarily better in value because the network services of BSNL are inferior to that of the private telcos.
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To promote its 4G and add new users, BSNL is also offering free 4G SIM cards to customers throughout India. The state-run telco also plans to deploy commercial 5G in 2025. However, the success of BSNL will depend very much on factors such as how its customer care team is; how deep is the network coverage, and more.
Having the 700 MHz band will definitely help BSNL with providing indoor coverage, but it will also depend on the overall sites and small cells deployment by the company.
