BSNL expands digital connectivity with over 50,000 4G sites in remote India

BSNL accelerates Swadeshi 4G rollout

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has made significant strides in enhancing digital connectivity across India, successfully deploying over 50,000 indigenous 4G sites in some of the country’s most remote regions, the Ministry of Communications announced. As of October 29, more than 41,000 of these sites are now operational.

The deployment includes nearly 36,747 sites established under Phase IX.2 of the project, along with 5,000 sites created through the 4G Saturation Project, which is funded by the Digital Bharat Nidhi Fund, previously known as the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).

This initiative is part of BSNL’s ambitious goal to deploy a total of over 1,00,000 4G sites, underscoring the operator’s rapid expansion efforts. The project is conducted in partnership with a Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)-led consortium, which was awarded a ₹24,500 crore contract in May 2023 to supply 4G equipment for the new telecom towers.

The consortium also includes Tejas Networks, the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), and ITI, highlighting the capability of India’s domestic technology sector to meet the nation’s connectivity needs. The Ministry emphasized that BSNL’s 4G network is designed, developed, and implemented entirely by Indian companies, embodying the “Poorn Swadeshi” (completely indigenous) innovation model.

Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia recently stated that BSNL aims to roll out its nationwide 4G network by June 2025, with plans to upgrade these sites to 5G within a month of deployment. Additionally, BSNL has successfully completed trials for its 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) and core network across both 3.6 GHz and 700 MHz frequency bands, having installed 15,000 air sites as of July.

This initiative marks a significant step forward in India’s efforts to bridge the digital divide, ensuring that even the most isolated areas have access to modern telecommunications infrastructure.

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