New Delhi: Under the ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ Mission, India’s state-owned telecommunications company, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), is currently rolling out 4G, the equipment for which will be viable for 5G. A Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)-led consortium comprising the Tata group firm Tejas Network and Centre for Development of Telematics (C-Dot) is leading the deployment of 4G with BSNL. The overall deployment will successfully enfold in about 18 to 24 months across northern states including Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and western Uttar Pradesh.

In its initial phase of the 4G launch, a Department of Telecommunications (DoT) official said that BSNL’s 4G subscriber base has reached 8 lakhs. The network core is expected to be installed in the eastern, western and southern regions by August. The nationwide rollout will be followed by the introduction of 5G services within the next year.

According to the report, BSNL aims for a full-scale pan-India commercial rollout after hitting a mark of 20,000 towers; 3,500 of which are fully deployed now. BSNL had been bled out while competing with private players; the telecom firm last made a profit 14 years ago, in 2008-09. The allocation of 4G spectrum to BSNL raises expectations of a relatively well profit by FY27, considering that it is the only effective player in the rural wireline services infrastructure. /BI