Government-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has deployed more than 50,000 sites nationwide, as part of the Centre’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India), to provide its 4G services, according to a Ministry of Communications statement on Wednesday.
“This deployment, in collaboration with Indian tech giants like Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Tejas Networks, the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), and ITI Ltd., showcases the strength of India’s homegrown technology in fulfilling the country’s connectivity needs,” the ministry said.
A consortium led by homegrown IT services company TCS along with ITI Limited are currently deploying 4G sites for the public sector telecom operator.
In May last year, TCS in a regulatory filing said that the company along with ITI Limited secured an advance purchase order of Rs 19,000 crore from BSNL to set up 100,000 4G sites.
Nearly 20% of this order is to be fulfilled by ITI while the remaining share will be completed by TCS.
The TCS-led consortium comprises C-DoT and homebred telecom gear maker Tejas Networks.
“Designed, developed, and implemented entirely by Indian companies, BSNL’s 4G network embodies the concept of "Poorn Swadeshi" (completely indigenous) innovation, ushering in a new era for telecom in India,” the ministry said.
As of October 29, 2024, the ministry said BSNL has installed over 50,000 sites, of which, more than 41,000 are now operational, with nearly 36,747 sites established under the Phase IX.2 of the project and 5,000 sites under the 4G Saturation Project funded by Digital Bharat Nidhi Fund (erstwhile Universal Service Obligation Fund or USOF).
“These efforts are bolstering BSNL’s goal to deploy over 1,00,000 4G sites, a testament to its swift pace of expansion,” said the ministry.
Till July 2024, BSNL has put on air 15,000 sites, and the last three months have witnessed the addition of over 25,000 new 4G sites.
“We have installed about 49,000 sites. The next step is commissioning, and currently, we have commissioned approximately 38,000 to 39,000 sites. The pace at which we are moving allows us to install about 450 to 500 sites every day, commission 400 to 500 sites daily, and optimize around 1,000 sites each day,” N Ganapathy Subramaniam, Advisor, Telecom Strategic Initiatives at TCS & Chairman, Tejas Networks, told ETTelecom in a recent interview.