BSNL's 4G Towers Rollout: A Leap Towards Indigenous Telecom Growth

BSNL is rolling out 100,000 indigenous 4G towers under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative with plans to upgrade them to 5G, marking India as the fifth nation with its own telecom stack. Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia highlights BSNL's profitability and the nation's leadership in 6G technology and satellite communications.

In a significant stride towards boosting indigenous telecom capabilities, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is deploying 100,000 entirely homegrown 4G towers through the Atmanirbhar Bharat scheme. This initiative involves core technology by C-DOT, with the Radio Access Network (RAN) being set up by Tejas Networks, and system integration managed by TCS. Union Minister for Communication and IT, Jyotiraditya Scindia, announced the plan at the Times Now Summit 2025, asserting that the target would be achieved by June, post which these towers will transition to 5G.

Highlighting India's telecom evolution, Scindia noted that India joins China, Finland, Sweden, and South Korea as nations capable of producing an entire telecom stack. He also reported BSNL's financial rebound, citing a net profit of Rs262 crore in the October-December quarter compared to a Rs1,262 crore loss in the same period the previous year. The company has achieved a threefold increase in EBITDA, echoing a positive trajectory amid global telecom consolidations.

Scindia elaborated on India's ambitious 6G plans, revealing that the Prime Minister had launched the Bharat 6G Alliance to cement India's role in establishing 10% of global 6G standards. He emphasized satellite technology's potential, stating it could provide connectivity in remote areas and during natural disasters. The government has already granted licenses to Reliance and Bharti Airtel to harness this spectrum, promoting India as a business-friendly landscape in the telecom sector.

(With inputs from agencies.)