BSNL 4G launch in India: 6 things you need to know

Amid the ongoing rollout of 5G services in India from Airtel and Jio, government-led BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) is still in the works to launch its 4G services. The rollout of the BSNL 4G services has constantly been postponed so far and, as it turns out, there is still some time left for it to become a reality in India. In this article, we will take you through some key developments with regard to BSNL’s 4G launch in India, including its potential release timeline, 4G speeds, 4G components suppliers the company will likely go with, and much more. So, without waiting any further, let’s get started.

1. BSNL 4G and BSNL 5G initial launch timeline

Not too long ago, a report popped up, suggesting the proposed timeline for the BSNL 4G and 5G services rollout pan-India. According to the report, BSNL would have started rolling out the 5G services in India by August 2023. The telco would have covered the entire country by 2024. Its 4G services, on the other hand, would have spread across India by January 2023.

Ashwini Vaishnav, Minister of Communication, revealed that BSNL was on track to launch the 4G services in India by January 2023.  “We are on track to roll out BSNL’s 4G with a target to launch services in the first week of January,” Vaishnav said. As for 5G, Vaishnav said, “By August next year, 5G services will be deployed in BSNL’s network. However, in some scenarios, it will be a simultaneous deployment so that the public sector telco can catch up with the private sector.”

This plan, however, seems to have changed lately, as a new report has emerged, stating that the BSNL 4G rollout might have again got postponed by 18 more months. What could be the reason behind this yet-another delay, you ask? Well, let’s head to the next thing you need to know about the BSNL 4G in India.

2. BSNL 4G rollout delayed once again by 18 months

BSNL may face more delays in its pan-India 4G rollout plans. A new report (via ET) suggests that the telco is facing a cost-related problem with the 4G gear that it needs to procure for its 4G infrastructure.

BSNL was supposed to procure the equipment and services from consortiums including the Tata Group. The telco was to receive the 4G gear by taking the help of TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) in India. This, however, appears to have taken a bump, as the costs for installing the 4G core-based towers by the Tata Group are reportedly higher than the telco’s estimates.

This has allegedly led BSNL to start looking for other companies for its 4G equipment, Reliance Jio being the best candidate amongst the lot. This process is said to take an additional 18 months period, hence the delay.

The quoted prices by the consortium that include Tata Group, Tejas Networks, and the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) went above Rs 20,000 crore, while BSNL’s internal estimates suggest that the maximum the telco can spend is Rs 17,173 crore.

4. BSNL 4G trials

Back in April 2022, BSNL got permission to conduct 4G trials in India. Since then, BSNL has conducted its 4G trials in association with TCS across the country. This, however, might change now, as the telco is seemingly in the hunt for a new component supplier. The core network trials for BSNL 4G have already been completed. Furthermore, BSNL has already upgraded its infrastructure for 4G in the metro cities in India.

4. BSNL 4G internet speed

There is no denying that the constant delay in the pan-India 4G rollout by BSNL will be frustrating for its customers, but one can only hope that BSNL 4G does roll out as soon as feasible. Whenever it does, the one thing that will be a concern for most is the network quality and, well, the 4G speed. Readers must be made aware that by the time BSNL 4G becomes a countrywide thing, leading private telcos would potentially have had a pretty much established 5G network in the country.

So, when BSNL 4G arrives at your place, what kind of 4G speeds should you be expecting? Well, the recently conducted BSNL 4G tests suggest that one can expect a peak speed of up to 20Mbps. The 4G speed is something similar to the speeds other telcos have been able to offer in the 4G realm. BSNL 4G speed appears to be on par with what the industry standards are, but do note that this speed was achieved during the 4G trial services, and the end results might vary. The speed gets affected by factors like location, the number of subscribers, and more, so the commercial BSNL 4G internet speed is something that remains to be seen for now.

5. BSNL receives a Rs 1.64 trillion revival package

Back in July 2022, the Union Government of India cleared a Rs 1.64 trillion revival package for BSNL and a Rs 26,316 crore scheme to roll out 4G services to around 25,000 remaining villages in the country. The government aimed to help the telco expand its 4G services to more than 120,000 sites. This necessarily means that all hope is not lost, and the state-led telco does have the funding necessary to make its 4G services accessible throughout the country.

6. BSNL 4G spectrum

So far, BSNL has not received a 4G spectrum from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The telecom department has kept a certain quantum of spectrum for the telco but is waiting for BSNL to complete the necessary formalities in accordance with the Cabinet’s approval. Plus, DoT has said in the past that the assignment/re-assignment of the spectrum in the 900/1800MHz band is under consideration in the department. We can expect further development in this regard in the near future.

While there has been a significant delay in the 4G rollout by BSNL, we can certainly hope that things fall into place soon enough, and we get to see the telco successfully roll out not just its 4G services, but its 5G services as well to all parts of the country.