New Delhi: According to Minister of State for Communications, Devusinh Chauhan, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) is preparing to launch 4G services soon, and work is in progress to bring these services to customers. Additionally, India Post is looking at partnering with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), a government-backed logistics service provider.
Regarding unwanted calls, the minister acknowledged that it is an issue and said that work is being done to address it. The Group of Ministers (GoM) has approved the deployment of 1 lakh BSNL 4G sites, and the minister said that the work on 4G is in progress, with various sites identified. The government is keen for the services to commence soon.
BSNL is developing indigenous 4G technology, which has taken some time, but the telecom corporation is now aggressively working on bringing these services to consumers. The minister spoke to reporters about this on the sidelines of an event where a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was announced among India Post, CAIT, and Tripta Technologies for logistics services.
“The MoU will enable delivery of goods for small businesses by leveraging the vast network of India Post,” the minister said. Chauhan also expressed satisfaction with the pace of 5G rollouts in the country. “If you see globally, no other country has achieved such a speedy 5G rollout. Today, 5G rollouts have touched over 800 districts,” the minister said.
In recent years, BSNL has been grappling with issues related to network coverage and the delay in the launch of 4G services. However, the telecom operator has been taking steps to improve its services, and the government has been supporting it with various measures to aid its revival.
BSNL’s move to 4G services is seen as critical for its survival in the highly competitive Indian telecom market. While 4G services are now the norm, BSNL is still offering 3G services to its customers. The upgrade to 4G services will allow BSNL to compete effectively with other telecom operators, and the company is looking to leverage its vast network infrastructure to gain an advantage over its rivals.
BSNL has also been exploring partnerships with other telecom operators to share infrastructure and reduce costs. For this purpose, the company has been in talks with private telecom operators like Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, and Vodafone Idea. With the government’s support and the deployment of 1 lakh 4G sites, BSNL is now well-positioned to launch its 4G services soon.