Today’s telecom news include partnerships or projects by Bharti Airtel, BSNL, India’s DoT, and 5G Lab in India.
BSNL Faces Delays in 4G and Tough Competition
BSNL’s revenue has been affected by delays in its 4G rollout and competition in the mobile market. As of March 2025, BSNL has installed 83,993 out of 100,000 4G sites, with 74,521 working. A retirement scheme in 2019 reduced employee costs by 51 percent, allowing BSNL to make profits since 2020-21. However, BSNL still faces challenges in expanding its 4G network.
DoT and NABARD to Provide Broadband in Rural Areas
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) signed an agreement on Thursday to bring broadband to rural areas. The goal is to provide broadband through the BharatNet program to help rural development. NABARD will share details of institutions, and DoT will share information on where to install broadband in gram panchayats. Both will share digital content and work together on programs for rural institutions, start-ups, and entrepreneurs. NABARD will help provide broadband to institutions, and DoT will expand broadband in rural areas. So far, 2.18 lakh gram panchayats are ready for broadband, with plans to cover all 2.68 lakh gram panchayats.
Government Sets Up 5G Lab at Gauhati University
The government has set up a 5G lab at Gauhati University in Assam, created by C-DOT. The lab will help faculty and students learn about 5G and test ideas. Similar labs are also at IIT Guwahati and NIT Silchar. The government has approved a Rs 76,000 crore program to develop the semiconductor industry. Tata Electronics will build a semiconductor facility in Assam. The BharatNet project will bring broadband to villages in Assam.
Airtel Brings 2Africa Pearls Cable to India
Airtel has landed the 2Africa Pearls cable in India, connecting India to Africa and Europe. The cable offers more than 100 tbps of international capacity. Airtel has also landed other cables in Chennai and Mumbai. It works with center3 and Meta on 2Africa Pearls. The cable will be the longest subsea cable, covering over 45,000 km. Airtel’s investments help improve network reliability. India is connected to 17 subsea cables.
TelecomLead.com News Desk
