BSNL to Start Upgrading 4G Network to 5G in June, Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel

The 4G network of government telecom company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) will be upgraded to 5G from June. The company plans to launch around one lakh 4G sites by June. Of these, about 89,000 4G sites have been installed. The company has used indigenous technology for 4G network.

Telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that BSNL’s 4G network will be upgraded to 5G from June. India has joined five such countries in the world that have developed their 4G technology. The government aims to expand this expertise up to 5G. Recently, BSNL was approved by the central government for a funding of Rs 6,000 crore for expansion of 4G network. This fund will also be used for the company’s 4G network of subsidiary metropolitan telephone corporations (MTNL). The control of MTNL, which provides telecom services in Delhi and Mumbai, is with BSNL.

BSNL’s network can also be allowed to be bid in a contract of about two billion dollars of telecom equipment for upgrade to 5G. If foreign telecom equipment companies are included for upgrade on the company’s 5G network, this will be a big change in the government’s stance. BSNL is finding it difficult to compete with private telecom companies due to lack of 5G mobile services. The responsibility of installing the company’s 4G network is with the Software Maker Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) led Consortium. The government is considering a proposal to reserve half of the volume of the company’s 5G tender volume. Foreign companies can get permission to bid for the rest of this tender.

In the third quarter of the current financial year, BSNL recorded a net profit of about Rs 262 crore. The company has a quarterly profit after about 17 years. The company has launched some new services in the last few months. In the December quarter, BSNL’s mobile services increased by about 15 percent in revenue.