BSNL to add 1L 4G towers; to seek Cabinet nod

STATE-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is set to install an additional 1 lakh 4G towers following the successful deployment of its first 1 lakh towers this month, said Minister of State for Communications Pemmasani Chandrasekhar on Wednesday.

- Rakesh Kumar @ New Delhi

The minister, in an interview with TNIE, said the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will soon seek Cabinet approval for the next phase of BSNL's 4G expansion in the country. "After successfully installing 100,000 towers with optimal 4G equipment, we will approach the Cabinet and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to approve another 100,000 towers," said the minister. "We also plan to increase BSNL's cash flow, which will enable us to install more 4G and 5G equipment and to monetize BSNL's assets." BSNL opted for indigenous 4G technology instead of foreign-made equipment used by private telecom service providers such as Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea. This is one of the key reasons the telecom operator is yet