Mangaluru: Around 60% of BSNL’s 4G rollout in Dakshina Kannada has been completed, with 89 new 4G base transceiver station (BTS) sites commissioned in remote and uncovered villages, said Dakshina Kannada telecom district principal general manager Hemant S Borale.He added that the indigenous 4G network will be upgraded to 5G once the rollout is fully completed.Addressing reporters here on Thursday, Borale said BSNL currently serves around 4.8 lakh mobile subscribers in Dakshina Kannada and carries nearly 42 terabytes of data traffic daily through about 700 mobile towers spread across the telecom district.The newly commissioned 4G sites have been established under the govt of India-funded Digital Bharat Nidhi initiative to provide connectivity in areas where private telecom operators have limited or no presence.He said BSNL has covered approximately 446 rural sites and 252 urban sites, with several additional sites in the pipeline.Highlighting BSNL’s rural broadband expansion, Borale said that under the BharatNet project, 88 optical line terminals (OLTs) have been installed.He said BSNL has emerged as a key service provider in villages where private operators have little presence, and currently provides more than 5,000 broadband connections in remote regions including Sullia and Kadaba.He also announced BSNL’s Freedom 2.0 offers to mark the 80th Independence Day.Under the offers, new sim cards will be available for Re 1 from Aug 12 to Sept 12, with unlimited calls, 1 GB data and 100 SMS per day for 24 days.Borale said some remote BSNL sites, including in Sullia, depend on solar power, and reduced sunlight during the monsoon affects network performance. BSNL has sought Mescom power connections, replaced batteries and plans diesel generator backup at critical sites.
