Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) will soon be able to launch its much-awaited 4G services in India as the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has cleared the acquisition of 4G airwaves.
As per a report by The Economic Times, the state-owned telecom operator plan to seek airwaves in the 2100 MHz Band to launch its 4G services and it has submitted a detailed project report for the same in 2017. The report highlights that the operator asked the government to acquire spectrum worth Rs 13,885 crore and it has sought Rs 6,652 as equity infusion from the government. The operator initially wanted to meet the remaining cost through revenue that will be generated over a period of 10 years.
However, the Telecom Commission has revised the duration to 16 years for spectrum payments after an inter-ministerial group’s (IMG) recommendation. With this, BSNL will be able to launch Long-Term Evolution (LTE) services soon in India. “The telecom department has accepted our proposal and is in the process to allow spectrum in the 2100 Mhz band to run 4G services,” BSNL Chairman Anupam Shrivastava told the publication.
Shrivastava further revealed that BSNL is planning to roll out 4G services on the 2100 Mhz band in all 21 circles, expect Rajasthan where it has airwaves in the 800 Mhz range. Manoj Sinha, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Department of Telecommunications, Government of India, has put the whole process of allocation on a fast track and has given an 80-day timeframe to conclude the Processor that BSNL could get the airwaves sooner. Interestingly, the company has already rolled out 4G services in Kerala and Karnataka as a part of pilot project.