BSNL Might Bring 4G Services Soon In India

BSNL is reportedly planning to launch 4G services in the next six months as it is looking to upgrade several sites in the country. The telecom operator will likely upgrade more than 49,300 sites to launch the 4G services. This development comes after BSNL expressed that it is not able to launch the services.

Hurdles For BSNL In Rolling Out 4G Services In India

The main reason behind BSNL delaying its 4G services is that it has been asked to choose domestic vendors under a system integrator model. This means that the state-run telecom operator isn't allowed to use Ericsson, Nokia, ZTE, and Huawei. Besides, the telecom operator has to use a company that has an IPR or license and source code of India. However, the telecom operator has shared its inability to meet these norms, reports Financial Express.

The report also suggests that BSNL is planning to float the 4G tender along with commercial specifications and upgrading its sites to offer a proper 4G network and services (including ZTE sites). Sources close to the development claim BSNL has raised this issue in front of the Department of Telecommunication and Prime Minister's Office (PMO) recently.

Domestic Vendors Wants More Time For Trials

Apart from that, sources said TCS, Sterlite, Mavenir, HFCL, Tech Mahindra, and more have expressed that they cannot develop their product in four months. These companies said that they need six to eight months for conducting proof of concept. Furthermore, the telecom operator said it will roll out 4G services in the next 10 months. For the unaware, BSNL is already offering 4G plans in the country. These plans are already available in few places and are priced at Rs. 96 and Rs. 236. These plans are offering 90GB of data for 28 days and 2,360GB of data for 84 days.