BSNL to Reportedly Install One Lakh Additional 4G Towers Across India; Invites Public to Pitch Name for 5G Services

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is said to have plans of installing additional 4G towers in India. According to a report, the state-owned telecom operator is aiming to improve its network infrastructure by adding additional one lakh towers, following upon the successful deployment of one lakh 4G towers across the country earlier this month. Meanwhile, it is also inviting public suggestions for naming its 5G services before it commences trial.

BSNL's 4G Tower Deployment

In a conversation with The New Indian Express, Dr. Chandrasekhar Pemmasani, Union Minister of State for Rural Development and Communications said that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will soon seek approval from the Cabinet for the expansion of BSNL's 4G services in India.

“After successfully installing 100,000 towers with optimal 4G equipment, we will approach the Cabinet and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to approve another 100,000 towers”, the government official told the publication.

Additionally, the state-owned telecom operator also plans to install more 4G and 5G equipment, in addition to monetising its assets, by increasing its cash flow. The minister also addressed initial issues that were previously reported with regards to the performance of BSNL's 4G equipment. The official noted that the equipment used by the telecom operator is indigenous and is undergoing optimisation and fixes to mitigate the issues, emphasising that “significant” improvements have been made.

“We expect it to operate near perfection by the end of July or August next year”, the Dr. Chandrasekhar Pemmasani added.

Naming of BSNL's 5G Service

In addition to improving its 4G infrastructure, BSNL is also inviting public input for the naming of its upcoming 5G services in India. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the telecom operator said, “Make history. Name the future of BSNL 5G.”

X users can drop suggestions in the comments section of the post, which will be accepted till 5pm today (June 13). Some of the currently listed top suggestions on the post include “BSNL Blitz”, “Tez Bharat”, and “BSNL 5G Storm”.