BSNL Activates 41,957 of 50,708 Installed 4G Sites: MoS.

The government announced recently that Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has installed 50,708 indigenously developed 4G sites across India, with 41,957 sites already operational as of October 31. A purchase order for one lakh 4G sites, upgradable to 5G, has been placed for nationwide deployment, said Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, Minister of State for Telecommunications, in a Rajya Sabha session.

Responding to queries on efforts to strengthen BSNL, Sekhar highlighted significant revival measures. These include a ₹69,000 crore package in 2019, ₹1.64 lakh crore in 2022, and ₹89,000 crore in 2023 for 4G and 5G spectrum allocation. These initiatives have led BSNL to achieve operating profits since 2020-21.

The company’s workforce has been streamlined through voluntary retirements, reducing the employee count from 1,70,125 in 2019 to 79,654.

BharatNet Progress and Rural Connectivity

Sekhar also updated Parliament on BharatNet, the government’s rural broadband initiative, reporting that 2,14,283 Gram Panchayats are now service-ready. To date, 6,92,099 km of optical fibre cable has been laid under the project.

Telecom Sector Reforms

The government has introduced several structural reforms to foster the growth of the telecom sector. Key measures include:

• Rationalizing the definition of adjusted gross revenue (AGR).


• Enabling spectrum trading and sharing with incentives.


• Permitting 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in telecom under the automatic route, with safeguards.


• Launching the Gati Shakti Sanchar Portal for centralized Right of Way (RoW) approvals.

The Telecommunications (Right of Way) Rules, 2024, aimed at easing telecom infrastructure deployment, will take effect from January 1, 2025.

Additionally, the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme is incentivizing domestic telecom equipment manufacturing to reduce import dependency.

New Telecommunications Act and Future Plans

The Telecommunications Act, 2023, enacted last December, lays the foundation for further reforms. “The government remains committed to driving the continued growth of the telecom sector, enhancing service quality, ensuring user safety, and securing telecommunications networks,” Sekhar said.

The combined efforts underline the government’s focus on revitalizing BSNL, boosting rural connectivity, and promoting India as a global telecom hub.

HBL