According to official sources, state-owned BSNL will begin implementing fully indigenous technology to roll out 4G services nationwide in August, in accordance with the government’s “Atmanirbhar” policy.
BSNL’s Successful Pilot Phase of 4G Network Shows Promise for Nationwide Rollout
During the pilot phase of the 4G network, which has been deployed in the 700 megahertz (Mhz) premium spectrum band as well as the 2,100 Mhz band, BSNL officials claimed to have recorded peak speeds of 40–45 Mbit/s.
With the help of a consortium led by the state-run telecom research organization C-DoT and locally developed technology from IT company TCS, the company has launched 4G services in Punjab and added about 8 lakh new users.
“The 4G core developed by C-DoT is performing very well in the BSNL network in Punjab. It was installed in July last year. It takes 12 month to prove the success of such complex technology but the C-DoT core has stabilised within 10 months. BSNL will launch atmanirbhar 4G technology across the country in August,” a senior government official told.
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BSNL Partners with TCS, Tejas Networks, and ITI for Advanced Core Network Deployment
In a telecommunication network, the core network is made up of a number of hardware, software, and device components that work together to provide essential services. In a recent paper, telecom regulator Trai defined core as a component of a network that provides functions such as charging, authentication, aggregation, call control, switching, gateway functionality, etc.
BSNL has awarded orders totaling approximately ₹19,000 crore to TCS, Tejas Networks, and the government-owned ITI for the deployment of 4G networks that can be upgraded to 5G.
Arnob Roy, executive director and chief operating officer of Tejas Networks, stated during a recent earnings call that BSNL’s mobile network is being deployed across zones.
According to him, equipment is integrated into the current core in cases where the BSNL network does not have access to the C-DOT core.
BSNL’s Expansion Plans: Deploying Towers for Enhanced 4G and 5G Services Across India
“When the C-DOT core gets deployed in those circles, in those zones, they will get parented to the C-DOT core as well. Tejas Networks Limited. This is just a temporary situation where the RAN (radio access network) is deployed and in that zone, the core is not available,” Roy said.
1.12 lakh towers are being installed by BSNL for 4G and 5G services throughout India. “Across the nation, the company has deployed over 9,000 towers for 4G service, of which over 6,000 are operational in the regions of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, UP West, and Haryana. Only for the past four to five years has BSNL been offering 4G capable SIM cards. To use the service, only customers with older SIM cards will need to purchase new ones, according to a BSNL representative.
