BSNL rolls out 4G; to be upgraded to 5G by year-end, says Ashwin Vaishnaw

BSNL has started rolling out 4G network with 200 sites, and after a three-month trial, it will launch an average of 200 sites per day, Union IT and Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday.

The minister said the 4G network of BSNL will be upgraded to 5G by November-December.

"The 4G-5G telecom stack we have developed in India. That stack deployment started with BSNL. Between Chandigarh and Dehradun, 200 sites installations have been done and within the next maximum of two weeks, it will go live," Vaishnaw said.

BSNL has placed an advance purchase order of over Rs 19,000 crore with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and ITI Limited for the deployment of a 4G network, comprising more than 1.23 lakh sites.

"The speed at which BSNL will deploy, you will be surprised. After testing for three months, we will be doing 200 sites a day. That is the average at which we will go. BSNL network will work initially like 4G. Very soon, somewhere around November- December, with a very small software adjustment this will become 5G," Vaishnaw said.

He was speaking to reporters after commissioning the 2,00,000th site in Gangotri along with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

"Today, practically every minute, one 5G site is getting activated. The world is surprised. It is a matter of pride for us that the 2,00,000th site has been installed in Chardham," Vaishnaw said.

The Prime Minister has said that India will stand along with the world in 5G and take the lead in 6G, he noted.

Vaishnaw said that gone are the days when technology transfers used to be signed.

"Today India has become a technology exporter," Vaishnaw added.

The first 1 lakh 5G sites were rolled out within 5 months of the launch of service by the Prime Minister on October 1.

The next one lakh sites have been rolled out in three months.

"We had set a target to have around 1.5 lakh sites by December 31, 2023. Already 2 lakh sites have been completed, I feel by December 31, it should be more than 3 lakh sites," Vaishnaw said.

He said that countries like the US have started deploying made-in-India telecom technologies.

"Today, devotees of Chardham have received a present in the form of a 5G site. Now, our border area will also get wrapped up with mobile connectivity. The dream that we saw of high-speed connectivity in the hilly area of Uttarakhand has been fulfilled today," Dhami said.

He said that the start of high-speed service will help in relief and disaster management, surveillance, and boost the economy.

The ministers also dedicated optical fibre connectivity of Chardham–Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamnotri and Gangotri–in Uttarakhand to the nation.