BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) officials have assured members of parliament (MPs) that the state-run telecom operator’s services will improve within six months, aiming to meet the target of deploying 1 lakh towers. This differs from Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia’s statement that BSNL is expected to reach this milestone by mid-2025.
MPs raised concerns over BSNL’s poor service quality, citing personal experiences with their BSNL SIM cards. So far, the company has deployed over 35,000 towers, but reaching the 1 lakh target is crucial for broad 4G coverage across the country. BSNL also plans to roll out 5G on top of its 4G network in the coming year.
BSNL officials informed the parliamentary committee that around 54,000 towers are ready for 4G installation, with more sites being prepared. The core network equipment is being sourced from the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT), while Tejas Networks is providing the radio access network (RAN) equipment, and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is serving as the systems integrator.
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BSNL has been losing market share to private competitors due to a lack of high-speed networks. However, the introduction of 4G could potentially change the company’s trajectory, as 4G remains essential in India, with 5G use cases still emerging and consumers not yet willing to pay significantly more for the upgrade.
