05 November 2023
BSNL will deploy India’s Centre for Development of Telematics’ (C-DoT) standalone (SA) 5G equipment in its network by the middle of next year.
C-Dot has developed its own 5G network equipment, including the 5G SA radio, core and IP Multimedia System, in collaboration with VVDN Technologies and startup Wisig.
“The technology that we demonstrated … will be deployed in the BSNL network in six to eight months after testing it thoroughly," said C-DoT CEO Rajkumar Upadhyay.
C-DoT – the R&D arm of the Department of Telecomunication (DoT) – has already developed its own 4G and non-standalone 5G core, which BSNL has deployed in the Punjab circle. BSNL currently plans to launch 4G services next month, and 5G after June next year.
Once the 5G SA gear is up and running in BSNL’s network, C-DoT will look to sell its technology overseas.
The DoT has been pushing for the development of homegrown telecoms equipment in the hopes of creating a new export market for India. In September, the DoT created eight working groups under the Telecom Equipment and Services Export Promotion Council (TEPC) for that purpose.
