Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) is yet to launch 4G services, but the state-owned telecom service provider has started focusing on the enterprise 5G connectivity by tapping technology firms to deploy private network solutions.
On Monday, BSNL announced its partnership with L&T Technology Services (LTTS), a technology engineering services company, to co-innovate and jointly bring to market private 5G connectivity solutions. The development follows allocation of 5G spectrum to the company as part of the recent Rs 89,000-crore revival package from the government. This is the fourth such tie-up by the telecom operator in recent times.
“We believe in partnerships that enable us to expand technology usage across industries in this Industry 4.0 era. This partnership is a perfect-fit offering to enterprises with complementary network & digital capabilities,” said Amit Chadha, CEO and managing director of LTTS.
Similar to its arrangements with other technology companies, while BSNL will provide the spectrum, LTTS will deploy equipment, applications, servers, technology and software, and core for the integration of devices/sensors within the customer’s ecosystem for private 5G
Earlier this year, BSNL partnered with companies such as Amantya Technologies, Echelon Edge and Telecommunications Consultants India (TCIL) for jointly deploying private 5G network solutions.
According to people aware of the matter, BSNL’s private 5G solutions will take at least two years to get introduced, given that right now the focus will be to first deploy 4G and then 5G, which will take time.
The partnership announcements by BSNL come at a time when Airtel has deployed India’s first private 5G network at Bosch Automotive Electronics India facility in Bengaluru. Similarly, the company has also deployed ‘5G for Enterprise’ solution at Mahindra’s Chakan manufacturing facility in partnership with Tech Mahindra.
Using private network solutions, enterprises can set up their own networks that have their own dedicated frequency bands. These prioritise how data is transmitted, improve signal coverage and ensure that the network is secure. Unlike public networks, private mobile networks can be customised with specific security measures and encryption standards, which help protect sensitive data and provide a reliable and secure environment for critical operations.
Had companies like LTTS got the spectrum directly from the government, they could have deployed the private 5G solutions by themselves in a short span of time, analysts said, adding that the partnership will be more beneficial for BSNL as its network services will be open to large enterprise clients of technology and system integrators. “5G is the next big enabler which can positively benefit the lives of millions of end-users and we expect rapid adoption of private networks across multiple use cases and major industries,” BSNL said.
In an interview with FE last month, BSNL CMD PK Purwar had said that the company’s focus is on the enterprise segment and the fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) segment as of now.
According to IDC, the global private 5G market is expected to touch $8 billion by 2026, with a compound annual growth rate of 35.7% from 2022.