BSNL aims to introduce 4G network in 45,180 villages across India

With its planned 4G services launch, public sector firm targets rural market spanning 7% of all villages

In its plans to begin 4G services early 2023 onwards, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has decided to prioritise tower installations in 45,180 villages across India that are yet to be connected with the fourth generation network.

The state-owned telecom service provider (TSP) will focus on unserved areas to give it a toehold in the competitive market currently dominated by the three private sector TSPs — Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea.

Likewise, a plan is being formulated to distribute BSNL’s upcoming 1.25 lakh towers across the map, officials said. The unserved villages represent 7 per cent of the 6.4 lakh villages in the country. If the plan falls into place, it will give the company a head start in a large segment of the market.

“We have undertaken detailed studies of unserviced and underserviced areas nationwide. Large chunks of the map are yet to get reliable 4G support. BSNL will fill those gaps,” a senior official said.

The strategy of placing new towers in deeper and less serviced areas remains BSNL’s biggest bet in its plan to actively compete in the 4G subscriber space, he added. BSNL is bringing 4G services years after the three private TSPs rolled it out.

4G still growing

Despite the ongoing 5G race, telcos continue to expand in the 4G segment. For instance, Jio has approximately 532,000 4G LTE (long-term evolution) network base stations and claims to cover more than 95 per cent of India’s population. Meanwhile, Vodafone Idea recently said it shut down 19,000 3G sites during the second quarter while adding 8,500 4G sites.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had instructed BSNL to quickly roll out 4G services nationwide and gain users in order to shed its image of a lagging government service, officials added.

Over 24,600 uncovered villages, mostly located in remote areas, are expected to get BSNL’s 4G service by December 2023, the DoT has said.

Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has repeatedly stressed that BSNL is on track to launch 4G services in India by January 2023 and 5G by August 2023. While a date for the 4G launch has not been announced yet, officials on Thursday said the entire roll-out may require more time to be planned.

“There is a reason why these villages remain outside the 4G coverage map. Difficult terrain and lack of road infrastructure are the main challenges in many areas,” an official said.

Contract yet to be awarded

The roll-out is incumbent on the quick award of a Rs 26,821-crore 4G equipment deal that will allow the installation of one lakh new towers. Another batch of 25,000 towers would be part of various government-funded projects in left-wing extremism areas, Lakshadweep and 4G saturation projects.

A consortium of Tata Consultancy Services, India’s largest information technology services provider, and the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) had been the initial bidder and the most likely winner to secure the contract. It was also the only bidder to have submitted proof of concept.

However, Bengaluru-headquartered ITI Ltd, a central public sector undertaking that manufactures a diverse range of information and communication technology products, entered the race at the very end.

Officials said the contract would be awarded soon but refused to give a deadline.

BSNL will be using a 4G core developed indigenously for the first time by C-DOT. The core is the heart of a mobile network, establishing reliable, secure connectivity to the network for end users and providing access to its services.