As part of 4G tower expansion, BSNL to deploy 1 lakh 4G towers across India

Following the successful rollout of its first one lakh towers earlier this month, State-run telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) will be deploying another 1,00,000 4G towers across India. The initiative is aimed at strengthening the company's network infrastructure as it looks to play a more competitive role in the domestic telecom market.

Minister of State for Communications, Dr Chandrasekhar Pemmasani said that the Department of Telecommunications will soon seek Cabinet approval for this second phase of expansion.

 “After successfully installing 100,000 towers with optimal 4G equipment, we will approach the Cabinet and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to approve another 100,000 towers,” he said.

The minister added that BSNL plans to boost its cash flow by monetizing assets, which will, in turn, support the deployment of additional 4G and 5G equipment.

Addressing concerns over the initial performance issues of BSNL’s 4G infrastructure, Pemmasani said the state-owned operator uses indigenous equipment, which is currently undergoing optimisation. According to him, “significant” improvements have been made and expects near-perfect performance by July or August next year.

Unlike private telecom providers such as Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, which source network equipment from global vendors like Nokia, Ericsson, and Samsung, BSNL has opted for homegrown technology.