BSNL's Indigenous 4G

in the Light of Current Market Scenario

A Professional Overview
Presented by : Nimish Rai
BSNL's 1 Introduction: 4G Development & Deployment
Indigenous 4G
2 Worldwide 4G Presence & Major Vendors

Agenda 3 Make in India Vision

4 Indigenous 4G Development Phases

5 BSNL 4G Current Status

6 Market Competition Analysis

7 Challenges & Obstacles

8 Future Scope & Opportunities Made with

9 Conclusions & Vision

4G Development and Deployment 4G LTE Network Architecture

Evolution from 2G/3G to 4G: Marked shift to all-IP networks, providing significantly higher data speeds
(up to 100Mbps), lower latency, and improved spectral efficiency

Major Global Milestones: First commercial deployments (2009-2010), rapid adoption worldwide with over
537 commercially launched LTE networks in 170+ countries

Indian Telecom Evolution: Initial 4G deployments by Airtel (2012), followed by disruptive nationwide
launch by Jio (2016) that accelerated adoption

Rural vs. Urban Divide: Urban areas saw rapid 4G deployment while rural India lagged; government
initiatives (BharatNet, Digital India) aimed to bridge this gap

BSNL's Entry Strategy: Late but strategic entry focusing on indigenous technology development rather
than relying on foreign vendors
Evolution to all-IP network architecture enabling
higher data speeds and capacity
Worldwide 4G Presence and Vendors
Global RAN Market Share (2024-25)

Global Deployment: Over 537 commercially launched LTE networks spanning 170+ countries as of 2024, Huawei 30%
with 4G subscriptions peaking at approximately 5 billion worldwide
Ericsson 25%
Major Global Vendors: Five dominant players control the majority of the 4G equipment market - Huawei,
Nokia 18%
Ericsson, Nokia, ZTE, and Samsung
ZTE 11%
Market Share Distribution: Huawei leads with approximately 30% global market share, followed by
Ericsson (25%), Nokia (18%), ZTE (11%), and Samsung with smaller but growing presence Sams7u%
ng

Regional Dominance: Huawei dominates in Asia and parts of Europe, Ericsson and Nokia strong in North Oth9e%
rs
America and Western Europe, Samsung growing in select markets
BSNL's partnership with domestic vendors
Indian Market Shift: Moving from reliance on global vendors toward indigenous solutions - TCS (systems represents a strategic shift in India's telecom
landscape
integration), Tejas Networks (radio equipment), C-DOT (core network)

Made with
Make in India Vision in Telecom
Make in India & Telecom Growth
Atmanirbhar Bharat Initiative: Strategic policy framework promoting self-reliance in critical sectors
including telecommunications infrastructure and equipment manufacturing

Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme: ₹12,195 crore incentive program specifically for telecom
equipment manufacturing to boost domestic production and reduce import dependence

Indigenous Technology Mandate: Government directive for BSNL to deploy only domestically developed
4G/5G technology, creating a showcase for Indian telecom capabilities

Policy Goals (2025-2030): Achieve 100% population coverage with 4G, 90% with 5G, create 1 million new
Transforming India into a global telecom
telecom jobs, and establish India as a global hub for telecom equipment design and manufacturing manufacturing hub while reducing dependence on
imported technology
Export Vision: Position India as a major exporter of indigenously developed 4G/5G stacks, with 15+
telecom operators across 9 countries already expressing interest
Development Phases of BSNL's Indigenous 4G Indigenous 4G Development Timeline

Phase 1: Research & Development (2019-2021) 2019-2021: R&D Phase

Core development, consortium formation,
• C-DOT led core network development with indigenous technology technology selection
• TCS appointed as lead system integrator for the project
• Tejas Networks focused on radio equipment manufacturing
• Alignment with Make in India vision and Atmanirbhar Bharat
2021-2023: Trials Phase
Lab testing, field trials, optimization, scaling
Phase 2: Trials & Testing (2021-2023)
preparation
• Laboratory and proof-of-concept testing of indigenous equipment
• Field trials across selected circles to validate performance
• Network optimization and interoperability testing
2023-2025: Rollout Phase
• Preparation for commercial deployment
Mass deployment, nationwide expansion, 5G
readiness
Phase 3: Deployment & Expansion (2023-2025)
• Initial order for 100,000 sites nationwide (May 2023)
• 50,000+ sites installed by late 2024
Future: 5G Evolution
• 41,000+ sites operational as of October 2024
Software upgrade path to 5G after 4G stabilization
• Target completion: 100,000 towers by July 2025
Process of Indigenous 4G Deployment Indigenous 4G Consortium

Strategic Collaboration Model: BSNL adopted a unique consortium approach to ensure end-to-end BSNL
Public Telecom Operator
indigenous technology development, bringing together public and private sector expertise
TCS
Technical Implementation: The network uses completely Made-in-India hardware and software Lead Systems Integrator
components, with radio equipment from Tejas Networks and core network solutions from C-DOT
Tejas Networks
Zone-based Deployment: Multi-zone pan-India deployment strategy with phased rollout prioritizing Radio Access Network (RAN)
strategic and high-density areas first C-DOT
Core Network Solutions
Future-Ready Architecture: 4G infrastructure built with software-defined upgrade path to 5G, minimizing
hardware replacements for future technology transitions
Fully indigenous end-to-end network solution

Made with Genspark

BSNL 4G Current Status (2025)
BSNL 4G Deployment Progress
Tower Deployment: As of July 2025, approximately 90,000 4G towers have been installed across India,
Total Target: 100,000 Towers
with operational services in all major circles Nationwide coverage by June 2025

Target Completion: On track to achieve 100,000 tower milestone by mid-2025, with nationwide 4G
Towers Installed: 90,000 (90%)
coverage expected by June 2025
90%
Regional Progress: Strong deployment in Southern and Eastern circles; Northern and Western regions
Towers Operational: 76,000 (76%)
showing accelerated growth in Q2 2025
76%
Customer Adoption: Over 5.5 million new subscribers added to BSNL's 4G network in the past six months,
reflecting positive market response Recent Achievement:
Additional 19,000 sites ordered with 5G upgrade
5G Readiness: All deployed infrastructure includes software upgrade capability for 5G transition after 4G capability
network stabilization

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Market Competition Analysis Indian Telecom Market Share (2025)

Current Market Leaders (2025): Jio dominates with over 40% market share, followed by Airtel (33%), Vi
(17-18%) and BSNL (under 8%)

Private Telcos' Advantages: Early 4G/5G adoption, broader spectrum holdings, greater capital
expenditure capacity, and established customer bases

BSNL's Strategic Position: Late market entry but backed by government support and indigenous
technology development; strong rural presence

Recent Trends: Jio and Airtel adding subscribers (99.8% of new additions), while Vi and BSNL have been
losing customers

Pricing Competition: Aggressive data pricing since Jio's entry in 2016 has lowered ARPU across the
BSNL aims to increase market share with
industry; recent stabilization with focus on service quality nationwide indigenous 4G rollout
Challenges and Obstacles
Key Challenge Categories

Intense Market Competition: Established private operators (Jio, Airtel) with extensive 4G/5G networks, Competitive Pressure
strong brand presence, and aggressive pricing Market share battle

Legacy Infrastructure Challenges: Upgrading aging network infrastructure while maintaining service
continuity, slower deployment velocity compared to private competitors Technical Implementation
Indigenous tech adaptation
Technical Implementation Hurdles: Indigenous 4G stack requires extensive testing, optimization, and
scaling to match established global vendor performance Financial Resources
Capex & opex limitations
Financial Constraints: Capital expenditure limitations affecting the pace of rollout despite government
backing and support
Infrastructure Gaps
Operational Challenges: Need for rapid fiberization, skilled workforce training, and evolving service quality Fiberization & hardware
perceptions among consumers
Future Scope & Opportunities
Growth Trajectory

4G to 5G Evolution: BSNL's indigenous 4G infrastructure provides a foundation for rapid 5G transition, Indigenous 4G
with initial 5G deployment expected by Q4 2025 after 4G stabilization Current Focus (2023-2025)

Global Export Potential: India's homegrown 4G/5G stack has attracted interest from 15+ telecom
operators across 9 countries, creating significant export opportunities
5G Transition
Rural Connectivity Advantage: BSNL's extensive rural infrastructure positions it to lead digital inclusion
Near Future (2025-2027)
initiatives in underserved areas where private telcos have limited presence

Enterprise Solutions: Growing focus on specialized government and enterprise connectivity solutions,
leveraging secure indigenous technology as a key differentiator
Global Export
Technology Integration: Opportunities in satellite backhaul integration, IoT networks, and critical Expansion Phase (2026+)
infrastructure communications that complement the indigenous 4G core
Conclusion & Vision

Key Takeaways Future Vision

BSNL's indigenous 4G is a landmark in India's telecom self- Rapid 5G rollout using native technology stack by late 2025
reliance journey
Export of Indian telecom technology to developing markets
Partnership between TCS, Tejas, and C-DOT demonstrates
Growing global recognition of India's telecom manufacturing
successful public-private collaboration
capabilities
Nationwide 4G deployment (100,000+ towers) targets June 2025
completion

Indigenous technology forms foundation for future 5G rollout with

minimal foreign dependence
Contact: Nimish Rai, +91 9927230043
Continued government-industry cooperation critical for competing
with private operators