According to Ashwini Vaishnaw, the nation’s Minister of Communications, the state-owned Indian telecom company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) may roll out 5G services by August of next year.
Details about Indian telco BSNL will introduce 5G in August 2023
“BSNL ought to begin deploying 5G by August of next year. In that approach, Vaishnaw explained, “we will have a good three private player, one public sector player ecosystem.
Thanks to a financial boost from the government, BSNL will begin rolling out its 4G network nationally the following month. Within the next 18 months, the telco plans to roll out 125,000 4G sites across the country.
According to Vaishnaw, the switch from 4G to 5G could be made by August 2023. He further highlighted that the foundation of the BSNL 5G network will initially be NSA architecture.
In conjunction with the present India Mobile Congress event, India’s Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, formally declared the beginning of the 5G era in the nation on October 1.
More than 200 Indian cities will get 5G service in the upcoming six months, Vaishnaw added. In the following two years, he continued, 80–90% of the nation might have access to 5G services.
On August 1, the 5G spectrum auction in India came to an end, and according to Vaishnaw, local carriers bought spectrum worth a total of $19 billion.
Reliance Jio, which spent $11 billion, obtained the most spectrum. While Vodafone Idea received a spectrum valued at $2.4 billion, Airtel secured spectrum valued at $5.4 billion. Finally, Adani spent about $27 million on the spectrum that it will utilize to provide exclusive 5G network services.
Bharti Airtel was the first telecom to roll out 5G in India. The company has activated its 5G services in eight locations with the aim to gradually reach the entire nation by March 2024. Delhi, Mumbai, Varanasi, and Bangalore are some of the cities where Airtel already provides 5G.
By the end of October, Reliance Jio intends to introduce 5G services in the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata. The carrier has previously stated that it anticipates having 5G coverage over the entire nation by the end of 2019.
The sole carrier in India that intends to roll out its 5G network using a 5G Standalone design is said to be Jio. The 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 1.8 GHz, 3.3 GHz, and 26 GHz bands have been reserved for Jio.
According to Akshaya Moondra, CEO of Vodafone Idea, the operator would gradually build out its 5G network over the coming years.
Ravinder Takkar, the non-executive chairman of Vodafone Idea, previously stated that a number of variables, including the development of use cases, consumer demand, and competitive dynamics, will affect the introduction of 5G services in the nation.
“Vodafone Idea aggressively participated in the [5G spectrum] auction and purchased millimeter wave and mid-band 5G spectrum in 16 circles and 17 priority circles. This will make it possible for Vodafone Idea to start rolling out 5G nationwide, Takkar told analysts at the telco’s annual general meeting.
The carrier is engaging in contract negotiations with a number of suppliers for 5G.
