The 4G commercial services by state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) are expected in Q2 of fiscal 2022-23 with a purchase order (PO) for network equipment procurement likely to be sited by April, says Devusinh Chauhan, minister of state for Communications.

“The commercial rollout of 4G services of BSNL is expected to start from August-September 2022, the purchase order is expected to be placed by BSNL in April, 2022,” says Chauhan.

BSNL's next generation network launch is delayed from six years as it continues to lose revenue on interpretation of non-availability of 4G services which are already offered by private sectors such as Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea.

In April 2015, the BSNL chairman Anupam Shrivastava, in a letter to the telecom department (DoT), pursued 2500 MHz frequency band to launch 4G services.

“Currently the Proof-Of-Concept (PoC) is ongoing which is expected to be completed by 31st January 2022," Chauhan adds.

In July 2021, BSNL allowed Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) backed consortium to test the network within a 120-day timeframe which was later extended up to December 31, 2021, following the delay in supply of specified power-backed radio equipment.

Tata group company and state-driven research and development (R&D) organisation Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT), arose as dominant consortia are currently undertaking a PoC in Ambala and Chandigarh for network testing and demonstration purposes.

Rival groups led by Indian companies such as Tech Mahindra and L&T backed out of the race, following the DoT's technical committee recommendation for the use of Indian core in BSNL's next generation network.

Last October, the minister of Communications Ashwini Vaishnaw and DoT secretary K. Rajaraman made a first test VoLTE (voice-over long-term evolution) call on an indigenously-developed 4G network.

Out of 90,000 sites, BSNL, as a part of phase - I program, is planning to deploy 4G equipment at 50,000 sites in urban and semi-urban areas.