NEW DELHI: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), a state-owned Indian telecom operator, has demanded Rs 99 crore reimbursement from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The amount will be spent by BSNL for additional O&M (operations and maintenance) for sites where the Evolved Node B (eNB) will be supplied at a delayed point by TCS (Tata Consultancy Services)/ITI. The delay will result in unnecessary costs for BSNL, which is trying to roll out homegrown 4G on government orders.

Reena Malhotra, GM (NWP-SP), BSNL, in a letter to the administrator, USOF, Department of Telecommunications, wrote that looking at the delivery and commissioning progress of the eNB from TCS/ITI, it is expected that there will be a delay in BTS installation at around 9000 sites where BSNL will have to start O&M.

According to ET, Malhotra said that there is a delay in the installation and commissioning of the core in four zones by TCS. In the North Zone, the first core will be installed by June 2024. USOF gives money to BSNL for the 4G saturation project for setting up mobile sites and towers to serve in areas which are deprived of network connectivity as there's no major economic return in those zones for the private telcos.

A TCS-led consortium which includes Tejas Networks and Centre for Development of Telematics is supplying the indigenous developed 4G equipment and core to BSNL.

"It is kindly requested to get the case examined and approve reimbursement of Rs 99 crore towards additional O&M charges being incurred by BSNL,” Malhotra said in her letter to DoT.

The state-run telecom operator needs to deploy 4G under 4G saturation project as well as roll it out in other sites to garner more market share.