Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), a state-run Indian telecom operator, has delayed its 4G rollout by several years. Newly appointed telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced on Thursday that the telecom department is forming a performance monitoring unit (PMU) to oversee BSNL’s 4G rollout progress.
The PMU will include BSNL, TCS, C-DoT, Tejas Networks, and other players, with daily targets mandated by Scindia. The progress will be monitored directly by the telecom secretary and Scindia himself. Delays in the 4G rollout have resulted in BSNL losing customers to private telecom operators such as Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi).
As private operators near the completion of their 5G coverage, BSNL has yet to aggressively start its 4G rollout. This delay is largely due to the government’s mandate to use homegrown technology. While this initiative positions India as a leader in innovation and long-term growth, it has significantly impacted BSNL in the short term.
Last year, BSNL awarded a Rs 24,500 crore project to a TCS-led consortium, which includes C-DoT and Tejas Networks. This consortium will provide equipment and deploy 4G in over 100,000 sites for BSNL, as well as maintain BSNL networks for 10 years.
Scindia made these remarks during the launch and theme reveal event for the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2024. The event is scheduled to take place at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, from October 15, 2024.
