Indian Government owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited is gearing up to launch 4g LTE services across 14 telecom circles in India where it has 20 MHz of liberalized broadband wireless access, commonly known as BWA spectrum. The company has recently launched its 4G services on a pilot basis in Chandigarh to test its efficiency. BSNL is currently exploring two models for the 4G roll out across the other telecom circles – revenue sharing model and the capex model. Only time will tell what the company decides upon for the upcoming launch across the 14 telecom circles.
The company owns 20 MHz of liberalized spectrum in the 2,500 MHz band, which makes it possible for it to roll out 4G services, without worrying about any kind of licensing hurdles. The company plans no additional expenditure on the towers because the plan is to install 4G base tower stations, known as BTS, in the already existing GSM sites. This could also mean that the company does not intend to expand its reach and connectivity, which is often frowned upon when compared to multinational services like Vodafone and Airtel. However, the existing zones where people rely upon BSNL for cellular connectivity can look forward to the 4G roll out.
A company spokesperson said that sufficient numbers of 4G enabled handsets are available in the market by several smart phone makers such as Apple, Lenovo, Motorola, Samsung, LG, etc. Device ecosystem for the 2,500 MHz band therefore has been well taken care of. He also added, by considering all the facts, it appears that launch of 4G services in 2,500Mhz band is feasible and commercially remunerative. It now only remains to be seen when the actual services are made available as the company did not mention any particular date for the launch.