BSNL to finally go 4G as country prepares for 5G! This is when it launches

BSNL is finally upgrading its mobile network to 4G just as private telecom operators have started rollout of their 5G services in the country. BSNL has been the only operator in the country to offer 3G services as the rest of the industry adopted 4G services widely. The move to 4G will begin from November 2022 onwards and the company says it has plans to upgrade to 5G by August of 2023! The plan was announced at the ongoing Indian Mobile Congress (IMC) 2022.

BSNL told the media that it plans to rollout almost 1.25 lakh 4G mobile sites in the country over the next 18 months. The rollout will begin in November 2022 and should gradually spread all over the country. BSNL is yet to announce how much its 4G plans will cost and whether the services will be on par with private telecom operators.

BSNL goes 4G in 5G era!

For its 4G network deployment, BSNL is currently in talks with TCS and C-DOT-led consortium to deploy indigenously developed 4G technology for its 4G network. However, the 4G network equipment BSNL purchases now will be upgradable to 5G through software updates later. Hence, BSNL’s 4G network will be 5G ready as soon as it gets license for the airwaves.

As for its 5G network, BSNL aims to deploy its 5G services by August 15, 2023, which is the deadline given by the telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. "The minister has given us a clear path that August 15, 2023, should be the date when BSNL should be in the 5G domain. We are working in that direction which we have received. We should be able to meet it (the target timeline)," Purwar said.

BSNL is yet to announce which Indian cities will get access to its 4G and 5G services first. Private telecom operators like Reliance Jio and Airtel will deploy their 5G services starting with metro cities by Diwali 2022. With 5G, mobile data speeds are expected to reach in Gbps instead of 4G’s Mbps based speeds. However, the initial stages should see 5G offering much slower speeds in triple digits of Mbps.