BSNL powering Atmanirbhar rollout

Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, sent written reply in the Lok Sabha to detail BSNL’s progress.

BSNL has deployed 97,068 indigenous 4G sites nationwide, of which 93,511 were on-air as of October 31, marking a substantial ramp-up of its mobile broadband footprint under the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision. These sites are built on an Indian 4G stack that is software-upgradable to 5G, positioning BSNL to migrate to next-generation services without replacing the entire radio network.

Indigenous 4G stack and Atmanirbhar focus
The network uses a domestically developed 4G solution involving C-DOT core software and Indian vendors such as Tejas and TCS for radio and system integration, aligning with the government’s preference for trusted, homegrown telecom gear. This approach reduces dependence on foreign OEMs and is projected to support a smoother evolution to 5G, since the architecture has been designed for upgradeability from the outset.

Scale and coverage impact
Crossing 97,000 sites gives BSNL a far denser 4G footprint than it had under its earlier, limited 4G deployments, particularly enhancing coverage in semi-urban and rural circles where BSNL retains strong brand recognition. With 93,511 sites already on-air, most of the deployed equipment is actively serving customers, translating government revival capital into tangible network capacity and improved data services on the ground.

5G readiness and future rollout
Because the new 4G RAN is software-upgradable, BSNL can light up 5G services largely through software and incremental hardware additions rather than a full network swap, which can significantly lower capex and speed rollout. The government has linked this deployment to BSNL’s broader revival packages and 5G spectrum allocations, treating the 4G rollout as a foundational phase for an indigenous 5G network.
CT Bureau