TIRUPATI: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has accelerated the rollout of its 4G network across Andhra Pradesh, strengthening digital connectivity in both urban and rural areas.
Chief General Manager Telecom (AP Circle) M Sheshachalam said at a press conference in Tirupati that 6,132 4G sites have been commissioned statewide, including 1,325 under the DBN-funded 4G Saturation Project. This has already connected 2,641 previously uncovered villages, with another 903 sites planned to extend coverage to 1,300 more villages.
The expansion has boosted BSNL’s 4G customer base from 5 lakh to 17 lakh, while daily mobile data usage has risen from 184 TB to 410 TB. Voice traffic has also quadrupled. BSNL currently serves 2.5 lakh fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) customers in Andhra Pradesh, with monthly FTTH data traffic reaching 51.2 petabytes, a 25 per cent increase over last year.
The AP Circle recorded Rs 1,086 crore revenue in FY 2024-25 and has set a target of Rs 1,300 crore for FY 2025-26. Sheshachalam said the deployment of indigenous 4G technology marks a milestone in self-reliance and supports socio-economic development.
In the undivided Chittoor district, 112 DBN-funded sites have been commissioned, with 57 more under implementation. All 405 existing BSNL sites have been upgraded to 4G, and 55 new towers were added last year. Another 75 towers are proposed to enhance coverage in major towns. In the Kuppam constituency, 51 sites have been commissioned, with coverage expected to reach 98 per cent once optimisation is complete.
Daily mobile data traffic in Chittoor has increased from 30 TB to 37 TB, with the customer base reaching 4.3 lakh. Fibre broadband has also expanded, with 31,000 active connections and services extended to 820 villages. The district’s fibre network now carries 80 TB of data per day.
BSNL’s mobile tariffs remain about 35 per cent cheaper than private operators, and fibre broadband plans start at Rs 400 per month, including unlimited calls, high-speed internet, live TV and Telugu OTT platforms. The Chittoor Business Area also supports 1,256 enterprise circuits serving banks, universities and industries.
To improve reliability, BSNL has replaced 135 BTS batteries and power plants in the district over the past year.