NEW DELHI: State-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is reviving in a “very systematic and methodical way” and the telco will have significantly rolled out its 4G network by Diwali, which will be upgradable to 5G, union telecom and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, was quoted as saying in an Indian Express report.
“I see this sector as a sunrise sector. There are new technologies, new investments. Close to Rs 2 lakh crore investment is happening in the 5G rollout. BSNL is reviving in a very systematic and methodical way,” Vaishnaw said, as per the report.
He said India has indigenously developed 4G and 5G technology, and pointed out that only four countries today have an end-to-end telecom stack, including China, South Korea, Sweden, and Finland.
including the US, Europe, and Australia are expressing interest in exporting India’s indigenous telecom technology.
“That technology deployment has started. By Diwali, you’ll see a significantly rolled-out network of BSNL 4G, which is upgradable to 5G,” he said, as per the business daily.
As per the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)’s latest subscriber data, BSNL held a market share of 8.08% in October, compared to private sector rivals Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel which have a market share of 39.3% and 32.85%, respectively. Vodafone Idea’s market share is 19.6%.
BSNL has lost cumulatively 21.4 million subscribers in 22 consecutive months up to October 2023-end, taking its total subscribers count to just 92.87 million.
Last year, BSNL awarded an advanced purchase order (APO) of nearly Rs 19,000 crore to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and ITI Limited for the deployment of its 4G network covering 1 lakh sites.
