New Delhi: The 5G service already started in the country from October. Reliance Jio and Airtel have also rolled out 5G services in major cities of the country. Now Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is also going to start 5G service soon. Union Information and Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnav told that BSNL is also going to roll out 5G service soon. However, it may take at least 5 to 7 months to upgrade. 

For this, BSNL will work closely with Tata Consultancy Services and around 1.35 lakh towers will be installed across the country. “Telecom technology stack is going to be rolled out. It’s a 4G technology stack that will be upgraded to 5G in a timeframe of five to seven months. That technology stack will be rolled out across the 1.35 lakh telecom towers in the country,” Vaishnav said in a statement given to a leading daily.

He also said that new startups will be encouraged by increasing the Telecom Technology Development Fund from Rs 500 crore to Rs 4,000 crore per year. The Minister affirmed that 5G services by the State Telecom Service Provider will play a key role in providing the benefits of 5G services to remote areas of India, where services from typical market mechanisms remain out of reach.

At the time of launching 5G in the country, Vaishnav had said that BSNL will also provide 5G services from August 15 next year. He had said that in the coming 6 months, 5G services will be available in more than 200 cities. At the same time, efforts are being made to provide 5G services in 80-90% of the country in the next 2 years. 

After launching 5G in the country, first Airtel and then Jio have also rolled out 5G services in many major cities of the country. Airtel has rolled out 5G services in Delhi, Mumbai, Varanasi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Siliguri, Kolkata, Patna, and Gurugram. Whereas Jio has launched JIO TRUE 5G service in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Varanasi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Siliguri, Kolkata, Panipat, Nagpur, Gurugram, and Guwahati.