BSNL’s 4G rollout project is on ‘operation transition’ mode; next phase, funding to be decided by carrier

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has completed the rollout of 1,00,000 4G sites for Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and the next phase of the 4G network saturation expansion activities and the required funding have to be decided by the telecom service provider, TCS officials told The Hindu on Monday (November 10, 2025).

 “TCS has deployed 100,000 4G sites mostly focusing on saturation sites, connecting the unconnected, remote and previously unreached areas using indigenous technology,” said Saurabh Mittal, Chief Product Officer, Core Technologies, TCS.

Radhakant Das, Chief Technology Officer-Network Solutions and Services, TCS, said the project was now in the “operation transition” phase. The initial order has been delivered on time, the process of operational stabilisation is currently underway, he added.

According to these officials, who spoke on the sidelines of IEEE organised Future Networks World Forum-2025 here, while the initial phase is largely done, future expansions hinge on decisions from BSNL.

“We will wait for the carer to come back” regarding subsequent orders and budget allocations, Mr. Das said, indicating that the next phase of work would be part of a separate deal with a different budget.

The contractual deadline, of the initial over ₹20,000 crore BSNL project bagged by TCS, for the full installation commissioning was set for June 2025.

Under this project, the BSNL 4G rollout was strategically targeted at saturation sites in remote and difficult-to-reach areas, Mr. Das said responding to a query adding, these included regions in Chhattisgarh, the Northeast, Ladakh, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which previously had only 2G connectivity or no mobile towers were present at all.

On the logic behind deploying 4G, the TCS executives said, 5G devices were expensive and have still only 20-25% penetration in India while 4G provided a necessary and immediate connectivity solution for the masses.

According to Mr. Mittal, BSNL’s 4G sites are upgradable to 5G, if the carrier wants to. The standards for 6G will emerge by 2029 and the commercial roll out of 6G will only happen in 2030. Quoting Union Communication Minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia, he said, “India is leading global discussions on 6G standardisation today, a move from being a follower in 4G, marching in 5G to a leader in 6G.”