State-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) will continue expanding its 4G network in the 2026–27 fiscal while evaluating strategies for future indigenous technology upgrades, a top company official reportedly said.
Also Read: BSNL Launches VoWiFi Calling Service Across India
30,000 New Sites Planned Across India
“BSNL is progressing well with its 4G rollout, and will continue expansion next year. We are in the process of finalising orders for around 20,000 additional sites to strengthen our network coverage across the country. Additionally, we have floated a tender for deployment of another 10,000 sites on an operating expenditure (opex) model,” A. Robert J Ravi, Chairman and Managing Director, BSNL, told ETTelecom.
TCS-Led Consortium Driving Indigenous Deployment
BSNL's ongoing 4G deployment, being executed by a Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)-led consortium, has seen significant progress, with more than 97,000 mobile towers already operational. BSNL is now working on follow-on orders to further expand its network footprint, particularly in underserved and unserved areas.
AI Tools and VoWi-Fi to Strengthen Network Experience
“Our priority is to ensure a robust and reliable 4G coverage across the country. We are strengthening our network systematically using AI tools while also assessing various models for future indigenous technology adoption,” Ravi added, according to the report dated January 9, 2026.
The expansion forms part of BSNL’s broader strategy to enhance connectivity and remain competitive in a rapidly evolving telecom market. Private sector companies Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have together deployed and upgraded more than five lakh 5G base transceiver stations over the past three years, while Vodafone Idea, a late entrant to 5G, is initially rolling out services only at select locations.
BSNL VoWi-Fi Services
Earlier this month, BSNL launched Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWi-Fi) services nationwide, enabling customers to make voice calls over Wi-Fi networks and improving indoor coverage and call quality in areas with weak mobile signals.
TCS, along with Bengaluru-based Tejas Networks and the state-controlled Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT), is deploying BSNL’s data network in line with the government’s push to promote indigenous telecom technologies. In 2022, the Mumbai-based multinational secured the 4G equipment supply contract from BSNL worth nearly Rs 20,000 crore, along with a 10-year annual maintenance contract.
Policy Push Shapes BSNL’s Technology Strategy
BSNL’s commercial 4G launch had faced delays due to multiple factors. In March 2020, the company floated an initial tender under its Phase IX network expansion for upgrading 49,300 sites and adding 7,000 new sites in Mumbai and Delhi for Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited, proposing Chinese firm ZTE and Finland’s Nokia for network migration.
However, the Department of Telecommunications later scrapped the tender following objections from the domestic industry, which alleged that the process was arbitrary, restrictive and contrary to the Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India), 2017 policy and provisions under the General Financial Rules aimed at promoting domestic value addition.
