India unable to export 5G tech because of BSNL
The Indian government's ambitious plan to export locally developed 4G and 5G network technologies has hit a roadblock, due to delays in BSNL's 4G network rollout. The Centre is eager to demonstrate the effectiveness of this homegrown technology through its deployment by BSNL, before introducing it globally. A senior government official told Moneycontrol that "there is interest, but we want to have a solid deployment here and show the world that it works."
Global interest in India's telecom tech
India has reportedly received inquiries from at least 15 global telecom operators and nine countries, including Kenya, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, and Egypt. The government had initially planned to debut this local telecom technology by the second half of 2024. However, various factors such as delays in equipment supply and deployment have pushed back this timeline.
BSNL's struggles and future plans for rollout
BSNL has been striving to launch its 4G network for two years but has faced delays. The company has so far installed 15,000 4G towers in regions like Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, UP West, and Haryana. It wants to increase this number to 80,000 by October end, and deploy an additional 21,000 towers by March next year. Following the completion of the pan-India 4G rollout in March 2025, BSNL plans to introduce its 5G services within six to eight months.
Contracts and technology behind BSNL's 4G network
Contracts worth ₹19,000 crore have been awarded to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Tejas Networks, and government-owned ITI for deploying the 4G network. The core technology of this network is a cloud-based architecture that powers BSNL's 4G services. This technology is presently being rigorously tested to handle the load of millions of subscribers, and will also support BSNL's future 5G network.
Reliance Jio's plans to export indigenously developed technologies
Reliance Jio also wants to export its indigenously developed technologies, after deploying them at scale to power its own 4G and 5G networks. The company has received interest from global operators for its 5G stack, which includes 5G radio, OSS/BSS, small and pico cells, and other software solutions. In its report for 2023-24, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) claimed that Jio's investments in next-generation network and digital technologies, would sustain a competitive edge and market share gains.
