State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is set to install an additional one lakh (100,000) 4G towers across the country following the successful deployment of its first one lakh towers this month, Minister of State for Communications Pemmasani Chandrasekhar told The New Indian Express.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will soon seek Cabinet approval for the next phase of BSNL’s 4G rollout. “After successfully installing 100,000 towers with optimal 4G equipment, we will approach the Cabinet and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to approve another 100,000 towers. We also plan to increase BSNL’s cash flow, which will enable us to install more 4G and 5G equipment and to monetize BSNL’s assets,” Pemmasani was quoted as saying.
BSNL has opted for indigenous 4G technology, in contrast to private players such as Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, which rely on foreign suppliers like Nokia, Ericsson, or Samsung. In May 2023, BSNL awarded a contract to a consortium led by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), including Tejas Networks, the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), and ITI Ltd. The agreement covers the supply of 4G equipment for 100,000 towers and includes network gear valued at Rs 13,000 crore and a 10-year annual maintenance contract.
Acknowledging early technical issues with the domestically developed equipment, the minister said performance has since improved significantly. “There were some problems with the equipment in the beginning. But now, it’s functioning well. We expect it to operate near perfection by the end of July or August next year.”
He emphasised that while companies like Nokia and Ericsson have decades of experience, BSNL’s homegrown technology is only two to three years old and still evolving. “Companies like Nokia and Ericsson have a legacy of 30 to 40 year, while BSNL’s Indian-made equipment is only two to three years old. We are doing a lot of optimisation and fixes, which will result in a high-quality product,” he reportedly said.
BSNL Subscriber Retention
On subscriber retention, Chandrasekhar stated that once the 4G rollout is complete, BSNL expects to better compete with private operators. He pointed out that BSNL currently operates only 100,000 towers, compared to the five to six lakh towers maintained by operators like Jio and Airtel.
Meanwhile, BSNL reported a net profit of Rs 280 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2025. This marks its second consecutive profitable quarter—a first in nearly two decades. The company had posted a loss of Rs 849 crore in the same period last year. In the previous quarter, BSNL recorded a profit of Rs 262 crore, its first since 2007.
Public Invited to Name BSNL’s 5G Service
Meanwhile, BSNL India has launched a crowdsourced branding campaign for its soon-to-be-launched BSNL 5G services. “Brainstorm BSNL 5G Name. Suggest a name for BSNL’s upcoming 5G service before 13th June, 5 pm. Make history. Name the future of BSNL 5G,” shared BSNL Corporate in a post on X on June 12, Thursday.
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