India’s state-owned operator BSNL plans to launch 4G services in the country this October, according to local news reports. This follows what seem to be encouraging trial results.
So far the operator has reportedly set up around 25,000 4G towers across the country. BSNL has also started dispatching 4G SIM cards to its customers. There are, however, expected to be a few more trials before the formal launch of 4G services. BSNL apparently plans to deploy commercial 5G in 2025.
Of course, the big names, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, launched 5G some while ago; in late June Reliance Jio had 108 million 5G subscribers, while Airtel had 72 million 5G subscribers. Vodafone Idea announced in June that it had completed the minimum rollout obligation across all 17 circles where it acquired spectrum in August 2022.
All three have offered 4G for a long time. Not too surprisingly therefore, BSNL’s 2G and 3G-focused offering has affected subscriber numbers. In the last fiscal year, according to the local press, its customer base has fallen to 88.06 million.
As we noted in August 2022, the government wants the company to use Indian input for its network. This has made the BSNL employees’ union nervous, given the company’s subscriber losses, though the union’s suggestion that BSNL be allowed to temporarily use Vodafone Idea’s network to provide 4G services, after delays from supplier Tata Consultancy Services in supplying or installing 4G equipment, seems not to have been taken up.
That said, the minister of communications, Jyotiraditya Scindia, claims he is closely monitoring BSNL’s 4G launch progress, with daily targets set for the project. A target to deploy 100,000 4G sites has to be met before the end of the current financial year (on March 31 2025). BSNL recently announced that it completed the deployment of 25,000 4G sites.
As BSNL didn't raise prices recently, unlike its private operator competitors, its 4G offering will at least be cheaper – though whether the service it offers will be good enough to boost subscriber numbers is another question.
