BSNL customers have been eagerly awaiting the launch of 4G and 5G services. The government has now revealed the launch timeline.
BSNL, a government-owned telecom company, will roll out its 4G services using one lakh base stations by May 2024.
Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia shared this update, adding that BSNL plans to switch to a 5G network by June 2025.
BSNL to Lead in 5G by June 2025
Speaking at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, Minister Scindia emphasized that while India followed global trends with 4G, it is keeping pace with 5G and aims to be a leader in 6G.
He also highlighted that BSNL will rely solely on domestically produced equipment. The telecom company has already started rolling out 38,300 base stations
and plans to install a total of one lakh sites by April-May 2024.
BSNL’s 4G network will be ready by then, with a transition to 5G set for June 2025, making India the sixth country globally to achieve this.
Government’s Approach and Technology Used
BSNL’s 4G technology has been developed by a joint venture between C-DoT, a state-owned entity, and TCS, a domestic IT company.
India has made rapid progress in telecommunications, with 4.5 lakh towers installed in just 22 months, making 5G available to 80% of the population.
To enable the 5G launch, BSNL will make minor modifications to its existing sites and upgrade their software.
BSNL’s Growth Target by 2025
BSNL aims to have 25% of its subscribers on its network by the end of 2025.
On August 6, the company introduced ‘Over-the-Air’ (OTA) and Universal SIM (USIM) platforms, which support both 4G and 5G services.
These platforms will offer customers more flexibility, allowing them to choose their mobile number and change SIMs without any geographical restrictions.
BSNL remains a public sector company fully owned by the Government of India.
