Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), a state-run telecom company, has announced the development of a 4G and 5G compatible Over-the-Air (OTA) and Universal SIM (USIM) platform to better serve its clients in India.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT India) recently stated, “BSNL ready,” in a post on the social media site X, which was formerly Twitter. ‘coming soon’ with the hashtag “Bharat ready”.
BSNL to launch 4G and 5G sim soon: Details
Allotment of 4G/5G spectrum to BSNL through equity injection was part of the government’s resuscitation package. The government increased BSNL’s permitted capital to ₹2,10,000 crore from ₹1,50,000 crore.
The government-owned telecom service provider BSNL has been experiencing financial difficulties for some years now. To date, the Center has offered BSNL three packages to help it get back on its feet.
In 2019, the government gave its approval to BSNL/MTNL’s first revitalization package. The news agency ANI stated the transaction was worth ₹69,000 crore and provided stability to BSNL/MTNL.
The government authorized BSNL/MTNL’s second revival package in 2022, totaling ₹1.64 lakh crore. In addition to financial help for AGR dues settlement, capex, viability gap funding for rural landlines, balance sheet de-stressing, and BBNL/BSNL merger, among other things, it also offered financial support for other purposes.
The platform is intended to cater to all BSNL customers across the country, providing “unparalleled connectivity and service quality,” the telco continued, adding that the technology is in line with the government of India’s “Atmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliant India) goal.
The platform gives BSNL mobile subscribers the freedom to switch SIM cards without being limited by location and allows them to select mobile numbers at any time. The launch of this platform aligns with BSNL’s ongoing efforts to upgrade its network to 4G and 5G.
