NEW DELHI: The state-owned telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) will launch its commercial 4G services in the country by June 2024, said BSNL chairman and managing director (CMD) PK Purwar.
Purwar also said that the company will be able to stop losing its subscribers only after launching commercial 4G services in the country. He said the 4G launch will happen once BSNL has 20,000 BTS (Base Transceiver Stations) in the country.
“BSNL is able to make a profit in the FTTH (Fibre to the Home) segment, but we are at a weaker wicket when it comes to the mobile segment... We don’t have products (4G or 5G) that need market rights. Therefore, once we have the product, we will be able to compete in the market. We will launch commercial 4G services by June 2024,” said Purwar.
The chairman also admitted that delay in launching 5G and 4G services has cost BSNL heavily. The company lost subscribers to its competitors. Now the company is deploying 4G sites rapidly, targeting to make multiple hundred sites go live every day. Currently, BSNL has been deploying 4G sites in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh West.
“We have a target to make multiple hundred sites go live every day before the official launch. The 4G launch will happen once BSNL has 20,000 BTS running across telecom circles,” said Purwar.
BSNL has an 8.08% mobile subscriber market share as of October 31, 2023, according to data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) In 22 consecutive months as of October, BSNL lost 21.4 million subscribers, taking its subscriber count to 92.87 million.
“Once the 4G launch is in place, the company will immediately upgrade its 5G network on the same indigenous technology stack by December 2024. We have set the December 2024 timeline for the 5G launch,” said Purwar.
BSNL deploying 4G sites rapidly
NEW DELHI: BSNL is deploying 4G sites rapidly, targeting to make multiple hundred sites go live every day. Currently, BSNL has been deploying 4G sites in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh West. BSNL has an 8.08% mobile subscriber market share as of October 31, 2023. In 22 consecutive months as of October, BSNL lost 21.4 million subscribers.