BSNL's SIM buying spree, 1 lakh SIMs sold in 20 days

Recently Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited i.e. BSNL has crossed the milestone of activating 1 Lakh SIM in just 23 days in Andhra Pradesh. BSNL Andhra Pradesh shared this information with everyone through a post on their social media platform “X” on Saturday. However, whether these activations are directly or mediated by MNPs has not yet been revealed.

BSNL does not currently have 4G coverage across India. But not long ago three leading telecom operators in India started providing unlimited 4G services to users. Among which two major private companies are also offering 5G facilities to users. However, BSNL has been promoting its plans as cheaper and more attractive to attract customers after revising recharge tariffs in early July.

According to a recent report by CNBC, the government informed Parliament on July 24 that it may take another year to roll out BSNL 4G services across the country. The report also said that the state-owned telecom operator could complete the deployment of the 4G network by June 2025. Note that BSNL has so far activated only 1,000 sites out of the target of 1 lakh sites.

Meanwhile, in a Business Standard report, a senior BSNL official said that BSNL has already installed around 12,000 4G towers. And by the end of 2024 they will start providing 4G services across the country and from the beginning of next year their 5G services will also be launched. According to reports, currently BSNL has 4G sites in four metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. Also, BSNL sites have been activated in most state capitals including Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Raipur and Chandigarh.

It may be noted that recently the official Department of Telecom i.e. dot social media platform “X” shared a picture of a 5G ready BSNL SIM card indicating that BSNL has started preparing to roll out 4G/5G services in earnest. And soon customers will be able to use BSNL's 4G/5G services.