TCS Prepares for BSNL's 5G Upgrade Amid Nationwide 4G Rollout

By siliconindia  |  Monday, 03 February 2025, 16:00 IST

TCS Prepares for BSNL's 5G Upgrade Amid Nationwide 4G Rollout
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) will upgrade Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd's fourth-generation network to 5G once the state-run telecom operator finalizes site locations and frequency bands, said NG Subramaniam, advisor for telecom strategic initiatives at TCS. The upgrade will be done by a software upgrade using the radio equipment already put in place by TCS.
BSNL is presently deploying its 4G network across India with spectrum holdings in the 700 MHz, 900 MHz, 2,100 MHz, 2,500 MHz, and 3,500 MHz bands. The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT), which implements BSNL's core network, has already ensured support for 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) technology. Once BSNL identifies the specific sites for 5G deployment, TCS will initiate the required upgrades.
A TCS-led consortium, which comprises C-DoT and Tejas Networks, is leading the pan-India 4G network deployment for BSNL, covering 100,000 sites. So far, 65,000 sites have been made operational. Tata Sons holds a 54% stake in Tejas Networks, which is contributing telecom gear for BSNL's network expansion.
"We are handing over sites to BSNL as and when the installation, commissioning, and optimization are complete. This process will continue until the network rollout is finished in the next few months", said Subramaniam, who also serves as Chairman of Tejas Networks.
To this end, it is also expecting a follow-on order from BSNL in respect of strengthening its 4G infrastructure, which will be required to ensure seamless connectivity as well as future 5G services. "The tender allows BSNL to exercise the option to place an additional order under the same terms, and we expect BSNL to do just that for the required quantities", Subramaniam adds.
In June 2023, BSNL issued a purchase order to TCS and state-run ITI Ltd. for the procurement of telecom equipment, including a 10-year AMC covering 100,000 sites for its commercial 4G rollout. ITI, through its reservation quota, is tasked with deploying 23,633 sites and is procuring some equipment from Tejas Networks. Tejas Networks is also manufacturing some radio components at an ITI facility.
According to BSNL Chairman Robert J Ravi, the 100,000 4G sites rollout will be enough to cover the entire country. "With these one lakh sites, we will have enough coverage across the country. We will soon introduce another plan to further expand our network capacity", Ravi said.
BSNL, which is also in charge of the Delhi and Mumbai circles of MTNL, will upgrade capacity and build out the network using 700 MHz and 2,100 MHz spectrum bands.
BSNL will also introduce 5G Network-as-a-Service, or 5G NaaS, where Tejas Networks bid for 1,876 sites in the Delhi telecom circle. The winner of this revenue-sharing model will be the owner of the network infrastructure throughout its life cycle.
"TCS will continue to work closely with Tejas Networks for implementation and integration services. The 5G upgrade will take advantage of the existing 4G infrastructure, but it will integrate with legacy systems", said Subramaniam.
BSNL plans to extend 5G NaaS deployments after a successful rollout in Delhi and stabilization of its 4G network.
Last month, telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced that BSNL's 4G network, which is upgradable to 5G, is expected to be fully deployed by May 2025.

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