Lok Sabha Question No. 2203 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-02
Subject: 3G and 4G Services
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: P.R. Natarajan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2203 TO BE ANSWERED ON 2 ND  AUGUST, 2023

## 3G AND 4G SERVICES

## 2203.   SHRI NATARAJAN P.R.:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether BSNL has taken serious steps to provide 3G and 4G services across the country with the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Initiation by the Government;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the number of towers purchased through Expression of Interest (EoI) and commercial negotiations and the balance to be purchased;

(c) the details of the timeline fixed for providing 3G and 4G services with the required advanced infrastructure facilities to compete with the private telecom giants; and

- (d) the details of the fund provision made and utilised so far from the revival plan?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS (SHRI DEVUSINH CHAUHAN)

(a) to (c) Bharat  Sanchar  Nigam  Limited  (BSNL)  is  providing  3G  services  since  February 2009. As on 31.05.2023, 3G services are available in 6283 cities/towns. BSNL is also providing 4G services  on  limited  scale  at  few  locations.  Further,  in  line  with  Atmanirbhar  initiative  of  the Government, BSNL has issued Purchase orders for one-lakh 4G sites to rollout 4G services all over India within 18 to 24 months.

- (d) (i) The Union Cabinet on 23.10.2019 approved the revival package of Rs 70,000 Cr (approx.) for 'Revival of BSNL and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL)' by reducing employee costs through VRS, debt restructuring by raising of sovereign guarantee bonds, monetisation of assets etc. With this, both BSNL and MTNL have become operationally profitable since 2020-21 and remained so since then.
- (ii) The Union Cabinet on 27.07.2022 approved revival package for BSNL amounting to Rs. 1.64 lakhs crores. The revival measures focus on infusing fresh capital for upgrading BSNL services, allocating spectrum, de-stressing its balance sheet, augmenting its fibre network by merging Bharat Broadband Nigam Limited (BBNL) with BSNL.
- (iii) Further, the Union Cabinet on 07.06.2023 approved the allotment of 4G/5G spectrum to BSNL with the total outlay of Rs 89,047 Cr through equity infusion.

The details of fund allotted and utilized so far from Revival Plan by BSNL is as mentioned below:

| Financial Year   | (Amount in ₹ crore)   | (Amount in ₹ crore)                                                         |
|------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Financial Year   | Fund Allotted         | Fund Utilized (Capital infusion, Viability Gap Fund, Ex-gratia and Pension) |
| 2019-20          | 4646.00               | 4452.86                                                                     |
| 2020-21          | 11,269.24             | 12,059.57*                                                                  |
| 2021-22          | 3,046.74              | 2,977.11                                                                    |
| 2022-23          | 54,244.11             | 45,568.79                                                                   |
| 2023-24          | 56,996.75             | 27,793.36 (up-to 30.06.2023)                                                |

(*) Expenditure till December, 2020 was Rs.1770.00 Crores, afterwards there was a larger number of claims in the months of January, February and March-2021for payment of incremental pension (committed liability) against employees of BSNL who had sought VRS.

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