State-owned telecom firm BSNL is planning to launch 4G service in December at a small scale and then roll it out across the country by June next year, according to Chairman and Managing Director P.K. Purwar. Speaking at the India Mobile Congress, Purwar stated that the company intends to upgrade the 4G service to 5G after June. The 4G service will be launched in Punjab in December, with the network hardening already completed for 200 sites. BSNL plans to install 3,000 sites in Punjab and gradually increase network deployment to 6,000, 9,000, 12,000, and 15,000 sites per month. The target is to complete the 4G roll-out by June 2024, followed by the move to 5G services. BSNL has awarded orders worth about ₹19,000 crore to IT company TCS and government-owned ITI for the deployment of a 4G network that can be upgraded to 5G. BSNL also has sufficient spectrum for 5G deployment once the 4G roll-out is complete.
