‘Indigenous 4G network set to be launched soon’
NEW DELHI: India’s indigenous 4G mobile network has been prepared in the shortest possible time and is ready for rollout soon, while the 5G network will be ready by the end of this year, telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in the Lok Sabha Wednesday.
After many years, stateowned BSNL has been able to make operating profit after improvement in its services, the minister also said.
Indian engineers have prepared the country’s own 4G network which is ready for launch very soon, Vaishnaw said.
“The whole world is looking at us with surprise at how India has built its 4G network so soon,” he said during Question Hour.
The minister said work is going on to build the 5G. “The scientists have predicted that our 5G network will be ready by the end of this year,” he said.
Replying to a supplementary on the poor connectivity in many areas of the country, Vaishnaw said nine schemes have been taken up by the government to improve mobile telecom networks that include construction of over 9,000 towers in aspirational districts and Northeastern region.
In addition, a ₹6,446 crore scheme has been approved to improve mobile infrastructure in over 60,200 villages across the country, the minister said.
“Results have started coming because of all these initiatives and the mobile network has been improved significantly in different parts of the country,” he said.
The minister said everyone knew who was responsible for the poor health of BSNL but because of the steps taken by the government, the company has been able to make operational profit after a long time and people should acknowledge it. “After the ₹69,000 crore package announced in 2019, BSNL has become a stable entity. In this year’s budget too, ₹44,720 crore provision has been made,” he said.
The minister said the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India monitors the performance of telecom service providers, including BSNL, against various quality of service parameters. According to reports for the quarter ended September 2021, BSNL is meeting, in general, most of the parameters for its cellular and basic services in Uttar Pradesh, including its aspirational districts, he said.