BSNL to provide 4G network services across country in few months, Congress opposed Mandal Commission report: Scindia

Bhopal: Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Saturday said that India’s indigenously developed 4G network technology is ready and the government-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is going to make the service available across the country in a few months.

Talking to the media at Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, the Union minister for communications explained the delay in rolling 4G network through the Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) BSNL in the country, saying that “Several people had asked when Jio, Airtel and Vodafone rolled out the 4G network, why not BSNL?”

“It was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resolution that if we have to develop a government-run company’s network, we will not use the equipment from China or any other foreign country”, Mr Scindia said.The PM has resolved under ‘Atmanirvar Bharat’ policy, India will develop its own 4G stack, core system or towers called radiation access network, he said.

“It took us one and half years (to develop the 4G network technology). Bharat has become the fifth country to have its own indigenous technology”, he said.

Mr Scindia indicated that companies including Indian firms such as Tejas Network, C-DOT, and TCS are working in various fields and BSNL is implementing it.

According to him, 80,000 towers will be installed by October and another 21,000 towers by March, 2025, which means one lakh 4G network towers will be installed by March next year.

He said that 5G can be used on 4G cores and work is underway to make some changes in the towers for the purpose.

He said that the subscriber base of BSNL has been increasing with many telecom customers switching from private service providers to BSNL.

Replying to a question, he took a dig at Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for his remarks that he feared raids by Enforcement Directorate (ED) targeting him, saying that the people who have a habit of speaking lies and never take pride in country development, but rather fee jealous of it, can only give such negative statements.

He accused Congress of systematically working to instigate people and misguide the country.

Mr Scindia said that Congress had opposed all commission reports including that of the Mandal Commission which recommended reservation for other backward classes (OBCs).

‘Before raising fingers at others, Congress should look into its own track records’, he said.