State-owned telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has raised concerns over weak transmission signals at thousands of its newly deployed 4G towers, an issue contributing to call drops and slower data speeds even as the operator pursues a long-delayed turnaround supported by government revival packages. The company last month has asked technology partners Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Tejas Networks to investigate and resolve the problem, according to people aware of the matter and a letter reviewed by Mint, Jatin Grover reported on November 19, 2025.
Also Read: Airtel Alleges BSNL 4G Gear Causing Network Interference in Rajasthan; Tejas Denies
TCS and Tejas Say Most Issues Already Resolved
TCS and Tejas, in response to queries, reportedly said most such issues have been fixed and there is no impact on BSNL’s key performance indicators (KPIs).
TRAI Drive Tests Highlights
The matter comes amid growing concerns over BSNL’s service quality flagged by users. Drive tests conducted over the past few months by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) showed the operator lagging private players such as Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel in network speeds, call-drop rates, and overall reliability across several regions.
132,000 Cells Transmitting Below Required Power Levels
In its 21 October letter, BSNL said field analysis at tower sites revealed a concerning issue: “Over 132,000 cells are currently transmitting power below 35 dBm (3.16 watts),” substantially lower than the 46 dBm (40 watts) level the company expects from its towers. The reduced transmission power, BSNL noted, is leading to limited coverage, latching difficulties for mobile devices, poor signal quality, interference, slow data throughput and higher call drop and handover failures.
“The reduced Tx (transmit) power levels are causing a range of operational and customer-facing issues, including limited coverage footprint, latching difficulties for user equipment, poor signal quality and interference, reduced data throughput and access, higher call drop and handover failure rates etc,” BSNL told TCS and Tejas in the October 21st letter, according to the report.
Vendors Claim KPIs Remain Within Acceptable Limits
TCS and Tejas maintained that call quality indicators, including call drops, remain within acceptable limits and are comparable to other networks.
“Call quality KPIs, including drops, are well within acceptable limits and on par with other networks. Network optimization to reduce call drops and improve coverage is an ongoing process for any mobile network, and the same is the case in the BSNL network,” the companies said in an emailed statement, according to the report. They also added that there are no issues of coverage or throughput in the vast majority of the over 94,000 operational sites.
Data consumption also crossed 4 petabytes (4 million GBs) on BSNL’s network, according to the statement cited in the report.
