Today’s telecom news includes announcements on BSNL’s 4G network, Starlink, Vodafone Idea AGR battle, among others.
BSNL’s 4G network goes live
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched BSNL’s 4G network and a nationwide 4G saturation project on September 27, 2025. BSNL’s 4G stack is operational across 98,000 sites, serving 22 million customers. The platform is software-driven and cloud-based, designed for seamless upgrade to 5G. Under the Digital Bharat Nidhi initiative, 29,000–30,000 villages have been connected, aiming for universal mobile connectivity. Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia stated that India is the fifth country globally to develop its own 4G technology, joining China, South Korea, Finland, and Sweden. TCS is one of the main vendors for this project.
Starlink to begin satellite internet trials in India within six months
Starlink will begin satellite internet trials in India within six months. Pricing is expected at Rs.3,000-3,500 per month, with equipment costs of Rs.30,000-35,000, nearly ten times higher than entry-level fiber broadband plans. The service targets remote and underserved areas rather than urban regions with fiber connectivity. Starlink promises 99 percent coverage, improving connectivity in rural areas and for mission-critical applications. The Department of Telecommunications is considering subscriber limits and stricter security regulations for satellite communication providers. Starlink has partnered with UIDAI for Aadhaar-based customer verification. Collaboration with Airtel aims to provide equipment through stores, offer services to businesses, and connect rural regions, Economic Times reports.
Vodafone Idea AGR Battle Postponed: ₹83,400 Crore Dues Await Resolution
The Supreme Court of India has postponed the hearing of Vodafone Idea Ltd’s (VIL) plea against the Department of Telecommunications’ (DoT) adjusted gross revenue (AGR) demand to October 6, 2025. VIL is challenging a ₹5,606 crore AGR demand for the financial year 2016–17, citing duplicated figures and requesting reconciliation of dues from the pre-FY17 period. The government holds nearly 50 percent equity in VIL, making it a stakeholder in the operator’s operations. VIL faces total AGR dues of around ₹83,400 crore, with annual obligations of about ₹18,000 crore starting March 2025. The operator has indicated that its ability to raise new funding depends on clarity over AGR liabilities. The DoT states that the current demand is based on gaps found during financial account finalization, Business Standard reports.
Mumbai Slum Protest Halts Trains: Telecom Industry Adopts Low-Radiation Towers
Slum dwellers in Mumbai protested the installation of mobile towers in their area by gathering on railway tracks, briefly halting local train services. The protest was driven by concerns over health risks related to radiation from the towers. Authorities and local officials monitored the situation and asked residents to vacate the tracks to resume train operations. Telecom companies are aware of such concerns and are exploring ways to address them, including installing low-radiation mobile towers and adopting technologies that reduce environmental and health impact, The Hindu reports.
Telin Teams with Nokia to Boost Singapore Data Center Connectivity Telin has partnered with Nokia to interconnect its data centers across Singapore. The collaboration focuses on providing scalable and cost-effective network solutions to support Telin’s growing customer demand. Nokia will supply optical transport technologies, including pluggable coherent optical solutions and the 1830 GX modular platform, to upgrade Telin’s infrastructure. The upgrade will enable high-speed, low-latency connectivity between data centers and allow Telin to enhance network capacity and manage increasing data traffic efficiently.
Shafana Fazal