State-owned telecom major BSNL has achieved a major milestone in its indigenous telecom expansion programme, with 97,906 made-in-India 4G mobile sites installed across the country, of which 96,103 sites are already on air, the government informed Parliament.
₹3.22 Lakh Crore Revival Push
To revive and modernise the telecom PSU, the Union Government has approved three revival packages worth around ₹3.22 lakh crore. These include capital infusion, debt restructuring, viability gap funding for rural telephony and spectrum support for 4G/5G services.
Under these measures, BSNL has been administratively allotted spectrum in 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2500 MHz and 3300 MHz bands, enabling both present 4G operations and future 5G readiness.
Network Expansion Gathering Pace
The government informed that since 2014, BSNL has added 13,748 2G BTS, 39,722 3G NodeB stations and 1,03,305 4G eNodeB stations across its network.
The indigenous 4G rollout has emerged as a key part of the PSU’s turnaround strategy, with the company already reporting operating profits from FY 2020-21 onwards.
Key Role in Rural Broadband Expansion
BSNL is also serving as the Project Management Agency for the amended BharatNet Programme, approved with an outlay of ₹1.39 lakh crore to extend fibre connectivity to gram panchayats and villages on demand basis.
The programme aims to provide nearly 1.5 crore high-speed FTTH broadband connections in rural India, besides supporting telecom connectivity in border and remote areas under the 4G saturation and Border Out Post schemes.
The accelerated deployment of indigenous 4G infrastructure is being seen as a major strategic step towards strengthening India’s self-reliance in telecom technology while expanding affordable connectivity nationwide.
