The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has allocated 5G spectrum worth Rs 61,000 crore to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), enabling the state-run telecom firm to roll out 5G services soon, according to an ET Telecom report.
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BSNL 5G Spectrum Allocation
With this allocation, BSNL now holds spectrum in premium bands such as 700 MHz and 3300 MHz (mid-band), crucial for 5G deployment, the report quoted officials as saying. The company plans to launch services in select cities, starting with Delhi, before expanding nationwide.
Minister of State for Communications Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar informed Parliament that BSNL has reserved spectrum in 700 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz bands for 5G. The telecom firm has also placed an order for one lakh indigenously developed 4G sites, which are upgradeable to 5G. As of March 8, 2025, BSNL has installed 83,993 4G sites, with 74,521 currently operational.
Government’s Financial Support for BSNL
Officials reportedly said the government has provided enough funding to take care of capital expenditure needs for the near term and more funds will be allocated to BSNL as it commences mass scale 5G rollout.
The government has assured financial support for BSNL's expansion, including an additional Rs 6,000 crore approved in February for 4G rollout. This investment is part of the broader revival effort, under which Rs 3.22 lakh crore has been infused into BSNL and MTNL since 2019.
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BSNL, which also manages MTNL's operations in Delhi and Mumbai, has struggled with customer attrition due to delayed 4G services. However, officials believe the launch of 5G will help the company regain market share and compete with private telecom players.
As per the government, owing to these packages, BSNL-MTNL started earning operating profit from 2020-21, the report added.
