Indian telco BSNL will soon launch 4G using this locally-developed stack
India’s communications minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said that the U.S. has showed interest in a locally developed 4G and 5G technology stack, local press reported.
The 4G/5G stack was fully developed by the Centre for Development of Telematics (CDoT), a state-run telecom research body, along with Indian IT company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
State run telco Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is currently in the process of deploying the 4G stack across 100,000 sites nationwide. Earlier this week, BSNL ordered $1.83 billion worth of infrastructure equipment and software from TCS.
The provision of this telecom gear will pave the way for BSNL to be in a position to fully launch its 4G network across India. Earlier this month, a group of ministers approved the proof-of-concept by the TCS consortium for BSNL using an indigenous technology stack, and gave the company the approval to issue the purchase order.
As part of the pilot for 4G, BSNL has deployed 200 sites in three districts of Punjab – Ferozepur, Pathankot and Amritsar. BSNL will provide 4G services via the 2.1 GHz spectrum band. According to previous reports, BSNL expects to cover all telecom circles in India with its 4G services by the end of its upcoming financial year, which ends in March 2024.
Vaishnaw had earlier said that India was in talks with 18 countries across the world to implement the 4G-5G technology stack. The official confirmed that the stack will be exported once the ongoing test carried out by BSNL is completed.
Vaishnaw also said that BSNL’s locally-developed 4G stack will be upgraded to 5G by the end of 2023. “Somewhere around coming November or December, just with a very small software adjustment, this (BSNL 4G) will become 5G,” Vaishnaw added.
Vaishnaw said since the launch of 5G on October 1, 5G technology has been rolled out in all 28 states and 8 union territories across India. “The 5G rollout has been one of the fastest roll out in the world with one site installed per minute,” Vaishnaw said.
Currently, both Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio Infocomm offer 5G networks in all major cities across the country. While Jio is offering 5G Standalone technology (SA), Airtel has opted for Non-Standalone 5G technology (NSA).
Meanwhile, Vodafone Idea is in the final stage of negotiations with banks to secure funding, which will be key for the launch of its 5G network infrastructure in the country, according to recent reports.
