BSNL installs 93,450 4G towers across India; nears one lakh target

This development brings BSNL closer to achieving its target of installing one lakh 4G sites by the end of June 2025. Scindia also highlighted the collaboration behind India’s first indigenous telecom stack, completed in just 22 months.

State-run telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has installed 93,450 4G towers across India, Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia confirmed. This development brings BSNL closer to achieving its target of installing one lakh 4G sites by the end of June 2025. Although BSNL still has a considerable distance to cover, Scindia noted that progress is on track. His comments were made during the curtain-raiser event for the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025, held in Delhi. The IMC 2025 is scheduled to take place from 8 to 11 October 2025.

Scindia highlighted the collaboration behind India’s first indigenous telecom stack, completed in just 22 months. “We have Tejas Networks as a private sector company, BSNL as a government company, C-DoT as a public sector entity, and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) acting as the system integrator,” he said.

With the ongoing 4G rollout, BSNL still has an opportunity to reclaim some market share. However, its service quality must be on par with that of private telecom operators to make a meaningful impact.

According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) report for March 2025, BSNL managed to add 49,177 new subscribers in March, following the stabilisation of subscriber losses in February. Its total subscriber base now stands at 9.10 crore. This comes after the telco had lost 5.67 lakh users in February.

On 20 May 2025, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) announced that it would be deploying a 4G mobile network for BSNL after receiving an Advance Purchase Order (APO) worth ₹2,903.22 crore. As reported by Voice&Data earlier, the APO includes planning, engineering, supply, installation, testing, commissioning, and annual maintenance of the network infrastructure. Detailed purchase orders will follow, subject to the fulfilment of conditions outlined in the APO.

BSNL remains the only telecom operator in India yet to commercially launch 5G services. In contrast, Vodafone Idea (Vi) began its 5G rollout in Mumbai in March 2025, with plans to expand to Delhi, Bihar, Karnataka, and Punjab through May and June. BSNL is expected to commence its 5G rollout in the coming months, which will further intensify competition in the Indian telecom market. However, the speed at which BSNL can roll out 5G across the country remains uncertain.

Currently, BSNL is focused on expanding its 4G footprint, aiming to reach the one lakh site milestone by the end of June 2025. The network expansion is being supported by the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), with a particular emphasis on extending 4G connectivity to rural areas.

Notably, BSNL has already readied its core network for 5G. The technology stack is being provided by a consortium led by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which also includes Tejas Networks and the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT).