BSNL Revival: Cabinet Sanctions INR 89047 Crore for Nationwide 4G, 5G Upgrade
The Union Cabinet has approved a revival package for BSNL. It will increase BSNL’s authorized capital from Rs. 1,50,000 crore to Rs. 2,10,000 crore.
New Delhi, June 8: Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union Cabinet has approved a special package to revive BSNL. It will help the telecom operator to offer nationwide 4G and 5G services.
The package includes a total outlay of Rs. 89,047 crore. This will increase BSNL’s authorized capital from Rs. 1,50,000 crore to Rs. 2,10,000 crore. Valuable wireless frequencies will also be allotted to BSNL. Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang Says US Risks Falling Behind China in Race for Powerful AI Warfare Tools.
BSNL 4G, 5G Spectrum
BSNL will get a 700 MHz band spectrum (worth Rs. 46,338.6 crores), 70 MHz of frequencies in the 3300 MHz band (worth Rs. 26,184.2 crores), Frequencies in 26 GHz band (worth Rs. 6,564.93 crores), and Frequencies in 2500 MHz band (worth Rs. 9,428.2 crores). It will also get a total of Rs. 531.89 crore for miscellaneous items.
This spectrum allotment will enable BSNL to offer nationwide 4G and 5G services. It can extend 4G coverage to rural and remote areas.
BSNl will also offer Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services for high-speed internet and services/spectrum for Captive Non-Public Networks (CNPN).
Revival Packages for BSNL, MTNL
The Indian government approved the first package (worth Rs. 69,000) in 2019 to stabilize BSNL and MTNL. In 2022, it approved the second revival package, bringing the total to Rs. 1.64 Lakh Crore.
As a result of these packages, BSNL has been achieving operating profits since FY 2021-22. The telecom operator's total debt has also reduced (from Rs. 32,944 Crore to Rs. 22,289 Crore).
BSNL has been adding over 1 Lakh new connections every month in the home fibre segment. It currently has a home fibre subscriber base of 30.88 Lakh users. This generated a revenue of Rs. 2,071 Crore in the previous year. NASA's Parker Solar Probe Flies Close to Sun To Find Source of Solar Wind.
India-made 4G, 5G Technology
With the new packages, the Indian government aims to make BSNL a reliable telecom service provider again and reach remote areas of India. BSNL also plans to install 1.12 lakh towers for the 4G rollout.
Notably, India has successfully developed its own 4G/5G technology stack as part of the Atmanirbhar vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This technology will soon be rolled on the BSNL network nationwide.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 08, 2023 04:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).