Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is gearing up to launch the 4G service in India soon. While India is already witnessing the rollout of 5G by private telecom operators like Jio and Airtel, BSNL’s 4G will be special as the government-led telecom operator will bring 4G using homegrown technology in India.
BSNL has passed the tender OF 4G to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to bring the fourth-generation network connectivity in India. The IT giant will be maintaining the 4G network for BSNL for the upcoming 10 years. According to reports, BSNL has already completed the 4G PoC with TCS in October 2022 and will be signing the commercial agreement soon.
TCS was the lone bidder for BSNL 4G rollout plan and the last date for placing the bid was November 18, 2022. So, if the telecom operator sets everything on plan with TCS, then BSNL 4G could be launched in the early months of 2023. Meanwhile, soon after the launch of 4G, BSNL will start planning for 5G too.
Earlier, at IMC 2022, the Centre For Development Of Telematics (CDot ) had already displayed the indigenous 5G core technology. The homegrown tech will also reduce the dependency of India on other nations and foreign companies for 5G core. This will help BSNL to bring its 5G with its NSA (non-standalone) network services. Notably, the government also hinted at bringing BSNL 5G soon after the launch of 4G. Telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw cited in early interviews that BSNL would launch 5G on August 15, 2023.
Meanwhile, BSNL users can avail offers on the existing broadband services provided by the public operator. BSNL is offering up to 3.3TB of monthly data and unlimited voice calling on select broadband plans. Priced at Rs 275 and Rs 775, the plans offer high-speed internet pf 30 Mbps and 150 Mbps speed respectively, with unlimited voice calling for 75 days with added OTT benefits.
On the other hand, Realince Jio and Airtel are rolling out 5G services in more cities across India. Jio True 5G is now available in Delhi – NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Varanasi, Chennai, Nathdwara, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Jio users in these cities can enjoy 5G services with the Jio Welcome Offer. Airtel has also extended its 5G coverage to 12 Indian cities. Dubbed Airtel 5G Plus, the service is available in Delhi, Mumbai, Varanasi, Bengaluru, Gurugram, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune, Panipat, Siliguri, Nagpur and Chennai.
