Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has installed over 94,500 4G towers across India. The state-run telecom operator's goal is to install 1 lakh towers in the near term. The milestone should have been achieved by June 2025. Unfortunately, it hasn't turned out that way. All the eyes will be on BSNL's announcement/confirmation for the deployment of 1 lakh towers. Out of the 94,500 towers, over 80-85% of the towers are now commissioned, confirmed India's union telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
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Scindia was talking to ET when he also confirmed that 5G has reached 99.6% districts in India and now covers 82% population. Vodafone Idea (Vi) has also entered the 5G game and now the coverage should expand to more population in case Vi decides to cover the areas where its competitors haven't paid much attention.
BSNL managed to post a profit for two straigth quarters. The yearly loss has come down significantly. However, things wouldn't be easier from here because the private telcos are now back to adding new subscribers at a rapid pace. These new subscribers come at the cost of BSNL's and Vi's subscriber base.
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India needs BSNL to offer low cost high-speed network services. Even if the networks aren't as robust and powerful as what the private operators offer, if BSNL can manage decent coverage, it can still make a difference. As for Vodafone Idea, Scindia reiterated that there will be no more equity conversions. The government doesn't intend to make Vi into a PSU (public sector undertaking) company. As for the help with the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues, the telco is unlikely to get any help in that domain, at least for now. Thus, Vi will need to see if it can raise funds to pay off dues in the short-term.
