According to industry sources, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has started receiving equipment from the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)-led consortium for its 4G network, and is planning to launch its 4G services in April 2023. Meanwhile, the supply of equipment of part of the pre-order for 200 sites that will be initially set up to launch 4G in parts of three districts of Punjab, including Ferozepur, Pathankot, and Amritsar.
While the government is expected to approve the complete tender to TCS for equipment for 100,000 4G sites by end of March 2023, this installation is part of the pilot project to launch 4G starting from Punjab. As per sources, TCS, through Tejas Networks, has supplied equipment for about 50 sites for which the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) may deploy a software patch upgrade.
Earlier in February 2023, the BSNL Board recommended the deployment of 100,000 network sites by TCS-led consortium for its 4G commercial service. The department was expected to seek clearance from the Group of Ministers (GoM) likely by early March 2023 to further issue a purchase order (PO). State-run telco expects a 20 per cent increase in revenue after a full-fledged commercial launch of next-generation 4G services in 2023-24.
