The government has reportedly cleared Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited’s (BSNL) plan to proceed with a deal worth Rs 262.81 billion with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for rolling out the telco’s 4G network. As part of the deal, TCS will set up BSNL’s 4G sites and maintain the network for nine years.
As per sources, BSNL will soon give the purchase order to TCS for 100,000 sites. In October 2022, TCS had proposed to supply overall core equipment within 12 months of the purchase order, while radio equipment supply will be completed over a period of 18-24 months. Tejas Networks, a unit of Tata Sons, the parent company of TCS, is expected to locally manufacture the network equipment for the operator.
According to TCS, the deal will allow the company to take its telecom offerings to potential global clients and compete with network gear makers including Nokia, Ericsson and Samsung.
