Why BSNL 4G Has So Much Issues?

From my last post on BSNL's official entry into 4G space, I am continuing here. Making it a brief, BSNL 4G is giving download speed of 20-30Mbps on 10/5MHz x 700/2100MHz band using LTE-FDD in 2025 while Airtel's initial 4G offering on 20MHz x 2300MHz on LTE-TDD was upto 40Mbps downlink. 

So BSNL's using lower bands with less bandwidth those should offer lower downlink speed, that's what I am getting. But BSNL 4G is having coverage issues, why?

BSNL 4G Officially Launched on 27th September 2025 - Discussions

BSNL, the state owned telecom service provider has officially launched its 4G-LTE services in India in an event at Jadsuguda, Orissa as India's prime minister Narendra Modi unveiled Swadeshi 4G network of BSNL on September 27, 2025. In fact, BSNL completed its 25 years of milestone of September 26, 2025. 

BSNL has deployed indigenous 4G stack, made by Tata backed Tejas Networks & TCS and C-DoT. Multiple Indian startups are also part of it. It is aligned with the government's strategy of Atmanirvar Bharat (Self reliant India). 

BSNL Brings New Logo with the Hope for Better Future

BSNL New Logo (October 2024)

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), the state owned telecommunication company is all set to rise from the almost-ashes. Thanks to present government of India, Union cabinet approved a revival package of Rs 89,047 crore for the 4th telco of the country. BSNL was suffering for continuous losses for last 12 years due to debts, poor infrastructure and several red tapes of bureaucracy. 

While Airtel launched 4G services in 2012, BSNL is right now launching 4G across the country - that's 12 years late!

BSNL 4G: ETA Unknown

On 15th August, 2024 BSNL announced that the state-run telco has deployed more than 15000+ 4G BTS across the country under Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative - the image you can see on the left was shared from BSNL's X (formerly Twitter) handle. 

However the target was 20,000 BTS installation. At the same time 'The Hindu Business Line' pointed out that DoT's Tarang website shows BSNL has only 10,000 active 4G BTS. 

BSNL's 4G service has been a long-due. Airtel was first Indian telecom operator to launch 4G services in 2012 in Kolkata. Spectrum and choosing equipment vendor were many of few roadblocks for the PSU. 

BSNL Starts 4G Journey in Kolkata & West Bengal

After a long wait, state owned telecom service provider BSNL starts their 4G-LTE services in Bengal starting from Kolkata on 15th May, 2024.

First 4G BTS is launched in Ballygunge exchange. Mass scale 4G launch in Kolkata telecom circle would take another month, while BSNL would take 4G to atleast 50 cities of Bengal circle in next 2 months. PSU telco expects to provide full 4G coverage across the state within a year. 

Initially BSNL expects for rolling out 8-10 4G BTS daily in Kolkata circle. Already they have 300 BTS in hand. Phase I will have 1671 BTS installations and phase II will have 325 BTS deployment in Kolkata circle. Rest of Bengal will get a total of 3131 4G BTS in phased manner. 

5G India: New Updates

With 5G technology, Indian service providers have got ample of opportunities. Many experts believe that India has fastest large-scale deployment of 5G infrastructure in the world. 

First Jio or Airtel started with OpenRAN architecture - where hardware is kept compatible with other softwares too (like you bought HP laptop, which comes with Windows, but you uninstalled it, and installed Ubuntu Linux). 

BSNL 5G by mid-2024 

State owned operator BSNL did not depend on Chinese vendors (Huawei and ZTE) for 4G roll out - the contract went to Tata Consultancy Services led consortium. The advanced purchase order (APO) for deployment of 4G network across India on behalf of BSNL is valued over Rs 15,000 crore. The consortium includes government-owned Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) and Tata Group owned Tejas Networks. BSNL's West Zone's 4G deployment will be done by Central govt. backed ITI. This contract is worth ₹3,889 crore. 

India's telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, by the end of May, announced that BSNL 4G will go live in 2 months, and 5G upgrade will be started in November-December of 2023, and 5G from BSNL will go masses by March 2024 - which I personally believe unachievable. BSNL may launch 4G commercially at Q4 of 2023, and that home made 4G-5G stack BSNL is deploying will be upgraded to 5G/NR by middle of 2024. 

BSNL's Delayed Entry into 4G Expected to be a Lacklustre Show

Back in 2007 BSNL made some really great move which marked a benchmarking event on India's wired broadband sector - to upgrade to wired broadband speed to 2Mbps minimum in most plans. Though that time was Manmohan Singh's era, many argue that main game was started during Atal Bihari Bajpeyi's time. Whatever the man stood behind BSNL's growth is actually Dayanidhi Maran, who was minister of communications and information technology (22 May '04 - 16 May '07). 

When BJP came at the power, I personally thought that it will mark another success story of BSNL - however it is not, rather government is on the way of privatization of government assets like Air India is gonna be sold. BSNL may see the same fate with no proper planning and investment, though ministers keep pressing the bell that that will not happen.

Whatever it happens, the loss making state owned PSU telco - BSNL and MTNL will continue to make losses against the competitive mobile market of Airtel, Jio, Vodafone+Idea. 

In February 2018, the telecom minister Manoj Sinha clarified that there is no plan at present to merge these two state owned telco but there will be steps taken to create synergy between two including effective utilisation of human resources as well as land and buildings. 

[Press Release] BSNL and Coriant Enter Into Agreement to Chart Path to 5G and IOT in India

BSNL and Coriant Enter into Agreement to Chart Path to 5G and IoT in India

Memorandum of Understanding Lays Foundation for Innovation in Network Architectures and Services Leveraging 5G, IoT, SDN/NFV, and Mobile Edge Computing Technologies

New Delhi, 06 September 2017: India’s leading Telecom Operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited today entered into an Agreement with Coriant to Chart Path to 5G and IoT in India. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed between BSNL and  Coriant for Laying Foundation for Innovation in Network Architectures and Services Leveraging 5G, IoT, SDN/NFV, and Mobile Edge Computing Technologies.

Coriant, a leading supplier of packet optical, IP, and SDN solutions to Tier 1 global service providers and web-scale Internet operators, and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), one of the leading telecommunication operators in India, today announced they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to closely collaborate on the exploration of 5G and related technologies in the India networking ecosystem. Under the terms of the MoU, Coriant and BSNL will cooperate to accelerate network architecture and service innovation leveraging 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), SDN/NFV, and Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) technologies.