Approval given for putting 4G in rural and uncovered villages
The Cabinet has approved the third revival package for BSNL with the total outlay of Rs.89,047 crore which includes allotment of 4G/5G spectrum through equity infusion.
The authorized capital of BSNL will be increased to Rs.210,000 crore from Rs.150,000 crore.
With this revival package, BSNL will emerge as a stable telecom service provider focused on providing connectivity to remotest parts of India, the Cabinet said on 7 June 2023.
With this spectrum allotment, BSNL will be able to:
Provide pan India 4G and 5G services;
Provide 4G coverage in rural and uncovered villages under various connectivity projects;
Provide Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services for high-speed internet;
Provide services/spectrum for Captive Non-Public Network (CNPN).
BSNL/MTNL revival:
The Government had approved the first revival package for BSNL/MTNL in 2019. It amounted to Rs.69,000 crore and brought stability in BSNL/MTNL.
In 2022, Government approved second revival package for BSNL/MTNL amounting to Rs.1.64 lakh crore.
It provided financial support for capex, viability gap funding for rural landlines, financial support for de-stressing the balance sheet, and settlement of AGR dues, merger of BBNL with BSNL, etc.
As a result of these two packages, BSNL has started earning operating profits since FY 2021-22. Total debt of BSNL was reduced to Rs.22,289 crore from Rs.32,944 crore.
BSNL has achieved strong growth in home fiber segment. It is providing more than 1 Lakh new connections every month. Total home fiber subscriber base of BSNL in May 2023 is 30.88 Lakh.
Total revenue from home fiber last year was Rs.2,071 crore.
Indigenous 4G/5G technology
Telecom technology is a strategic technology with a limited number of end-to-end technology providers in the world.
India’s own 4G/5G technology stack has been successfully developed.
Deployment has started. After a few months of field deployment, it will be rapidly rolled out across the country on BSNL network, said the Cabinet. fiinews.com
