As the world gears up to embrace 5G technology, BSNL is making sure it does not lose the 5G bus in India. BSNL is working closely with Nokia, ZTE and Coriant to build the 5G ecosystem in India ahead of time. Anil Jain, Chief General Manager of BSNL said that unlike the case with 3G and 4G deployment, where BSNL lagged far behind in India and could only establish 4G service in 2018, this time BSNL is taking all the necessary steps to create a successful 5G roadmap, so that it is able to launch and provide the service along with 5G’s global launch worldwide. Though phones with 5G support will start arriving by 2019, according to popular industry experts in networking domain, it will not be until 2020 that consumers can actually use 5G services full-fledged globally. Whatever may be the case, BSNL is proactively seeking and building the foundation for 5G service in India.
Since the beginning of 2018, BSNL has been bringing together the elements that is indispensable to create a 5G network in the country. In February 2018, BSNL signed a MoU with Japan’s NTT Advanced Technology Corporation to develop a 5G testbed in India. Again, in March, BSNL entered into an agreement with Nokia to tap into its expertise in 5G network expertise. Reportedly, the goal of the agreement is to leverage Software Defined Network (SDN) and multi-access edge computing in order to establish a 5G environment.
BSNL has partnered with several networking companies to realize its 5G goal. According to a report by Economic Times, BSNL joined hands with US-based mobile solutions routing company Coriant to understand and create 5G networking solutions for enterprise customers in India. BSNL has undergone several tests, including testing a 700MHz band which is essential to provide 5G services. According to Centre for Development of Telematics, India, airwaves in the bands of 700 MHz, 3.5 GHz, 24 GHz and 28 GHz can be made available for 5G network services.
Apart from building the blocks towards 5G service, BSNL is also in talk with Reliance Jio GigaFiber service to introduce fiber optics internet plans in India.
