Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) will soon start 4G trials in four districts of Kerala in August 2022. This is the same month when the state-run telco is expected to finally launch 4G services for users in India. Initially, BSNL will run a test of its 4G network in four different districts of Kerala including Ernakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kannur, and Kozhikode, reported TheHindu. BSNL will further go ahead with a state-wide launch later in December.
C.V. Vinod, Chief General Manager, BSNL Kerala circle told the publication that TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) will soon begin its trial run at the above-mentioned districts for the 4G network rollout.
800 Towers Have been Approved in Kerala for BSNL 4G Trials
Vinod said that 800 towers have got the approval for going ahead with the 4G trials of BSNL. Out of these 800 towers, maximum of them would be in Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram. BSNL is currently focusing the trial on urban areas of the state so that real-time testing of how the system holds can be done. Vinod said once the trials are over, BSNL will roll out 4G state-wide by December 2022.
This is a positive development for the state-run telecom company. Other states might also be gearing for 4G launch of BSNL this year. BSNL will be the first telecom operator in the country to roll out 4G network services with a completely homegrown 4G core and other equipment. Its partnership with TCS should hopefully bring fruitful results.
BSNL was interrupted by the government multiple times when it came to the 4G launch. It has taken a lot of time for BSNL to come launch 4G and PAN-India coverage might require another year or more. This is slightly worrying if BSNL can’t deliver a great performance as procuring homegrown equipment by avoiding the Chinese or the European options will not only be costly but has also resulted in an elongated process to launch 4G.
