Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) lost 377,520 or 0.37 million wireless subscribers in January 2022. As per data shared by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the telco’s total wireless user base declined to 113.98 million. To worsen the figure further, only 51.44% (58.64 million) users of BSNL were active in January 2022. This is because BSNL still doesn’t have a PAN-India 4G coverage. But very soon, it might! Regardless of how late BSNL is, the telco still has a chance to capitalise on the 4G mobile network demand. Both Nokia and Ericsson have said that 4G is going to stay relevant in India for the coming few years. But the thing is, BSNL will have to ensure that it is offering users a quality experience. It isn’t too hard for the 4G networks to get congested in India. But with BSNL foraying into the 4G scene, it will become much easier for every telco in the country to handle network loads. BSNL, on the other hand, will have to ramp up work both effectively and efficiently so that it can manage an influx of new users and possibly more than 100+ million users on its 4G networks.
BSNL 4G Prepaid Plans to Make a Big Difference
There are expectations overall that BSNL won’t price its 4G plans the way private operators are doing. This may result in many customers choosing BSNL as their secondary SIM. BSNL’s prepaid plans are currently way more affordable compared to what the private operators are offering. However, it can change too with 4G. Because 4G requires a lot of capex and continuous cash expenses for expansion across India, BSNL might increase tariffs too for increasing average revenue per user (ARPU) and become self-sufficient.
BSNL 4G Launch in India
BSNL is expected to launch its 4G networks in India in 2022 itself. The fixed date for launch is expected to be August 15, 2022. But nothing can be said since it is BSNL, and delays are always there in its plans. Regardless, the state-run telco will go ahead with the 4G launch and is also planning to launch 5G soon. C-DoT said that BSNL would launch its 4G on 5G NSA (non-standalone) network, and thus with a few tweaks, the government-owned telco can switch to 5G. This is great news for every BSNL fan and is also good for India in the long run. IT and Telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had earlier said that BSNL would make its 4G equipment order in April 2022.
