Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is going to bring 4G network very soon. The state-run telco has said that in Pune, the 4G network is likely to be launched by the end of 2022. This information was shared by the official handle of BSNL India (@BSNLCorate) when a user asked about the status of BSNL’s 4G network in Pune, Maharashtra.
This is the same time frame when BSNL is expected to launch 4G network in the South Indian state of Kerala. The telco will test the 4G network in four districts of Kerala from August and then target a statewide launch by December 2022.
Will every city/state get BSNL 4G by the end of the year?
BSNL is currently waiting to fulfill the orders of the vendors to deploy 40W radios at 6000 sites across the country. The longer it takes, the higher will be the delay in the launch of BSNL’s 4G network.
Most likely, BSNL will be able to launch 4G only in different states and cities of the country by the end of the year. By then, perhaps some private telcos would have launched 5G networks.
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BSNL may upgrade 4G sites to 5G NSA
But the good thing is that BSNL has also worked with C-DOT (Center for Development of Telematics) on 5G NSA (Non-Standalone). Hence there is a possibility that BSNL may rapidly upgrade 4G sites to 5G NSA.
Note that, the 5G NSA does not require a 5G core. It can be deployed on 4G cores and is less expensive than 5G SA. With the 5G NSA, the aim is mostly to deliver enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB).
– For now, as Pune and Kerala are expected to get BSNL’s live 4G network by the end of the year, the same could be the case for other cities and states. It is worth noting that BSNL is already providing 4G VoLTE services in some parts of the country, but not everywhere.