10 May 2024
BSNL has confirmed plans to start rolling out 4G services across the country from August.
The company’s planned rollout will use completely indigenous technology, in line with the government's Atmanirbhar policy ('self-reliant India').
BSNL officials have claimed to have recorded peak speeds of 40-45Mbps on the 4G network which has been rolled out in the 700MHz and 2100MHz bands during the pilot phase.
Some 4G rollout activity has already taken place. Services have been rolled out in Punjab using technology indigenously developed by a consortium including Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and C-DoT. The 4G core developed by C-DoT was installed in Punjab in July 2023 and is said to be performing well.
Tejas Networks and ITI have won big orders worth from BSNL for deploying the 4G network, which will be upgradable to 5G. BSNL is reportedly in the process of deploying 112,000 towers for 4G and 5G services across India.
