DoT will be creating performance monitoring units for BSNL: Scindia

Testing and reimbursement scheme for startups & MSEs announced

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is in the process of forming a performance monitoring unit (PMU) for state-run telco BSNL and its efforts to roll out 4G, Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday.

"Along with Tejas, BSNL, TCS, and C-DOT, and all our players together, we are forming a PMU. I have mandated them to set daily targets, which will be monitored by myself and the Telecom Secretary," Scindia said.

BSNL’s plans to launch 4G services years after three private telecom service providers — Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea — rolled it out have repeatedly been delayed. As a result, BSNL’s customer base constantly shrunk as 2G users migrating to 4G chose other operators.

 

Last year, the BSNL board and later a group of ministers had cleared a Rs 24,500 crore contract to a TCS-led consortium, which includes C-DOT and Tejas Networks, to provide 4G equipment for 100,000 new telecom towers. Network gear for about Rs 13,000 crore, as well as third-party items and a 10-year annual maintenance contract (AMC), is also covered in the contract.

Subsequently, BSNL officials had earlier insisted December 2023, and later June 2024 could be kept as operational challenges were being quickly cleared.

In June last year, the company issued an advance purchase order of around Rs 19,000 crore to TCS and government-run ITI Limited for the same.

MSME certification

On Thursday, Scindia also announced a new DoT-run testing and reimbursement scheme for startups, micro and small enterprises. With a total outlay of Rs 25 crore, it will provide financial support of up to Rs 50 lakh per startup or MSE.

The scheme will offer reimbursement of up to 75 per cent for startups, 60 per cent for micro-enterprises, and 50 per cent for small enterprises.

The scheme will be funded from the Telecom Technology Development Fund. Currently pegged at 5 per cent of the annual collections of the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) or about Rs 500 crore, the corpus of the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) may be expanded, officials have said.

Last month, the DoT had announced two proposals, also to be funded through TTDF. This includes the 5G Intelligent Village program and Quantum Encryption Algorithm (QEA), aimed at catalysing innovation and technological advancement in the telecom sector.

Thursday's announcement was made on the sidelines of an industry event on the upcoming annual edition of the India Mobile Congress (IMC). Speaking on the occasion, Scindia said India has become the largest, most rapidly growing communications market, as well as the only market to have leapfrogged technology over the last decade.

"In this background, 2024 will be a hallmark year for India, when we will be hosting not one but two events - the IMC 2024, and the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly 2024," Scindia said.

The Minister said the latest edition of the annual IMC is expected to have about 400 exhibitors, 1000 startups, and 150,000 attendees from 120 countries.

Scindia said India is working towards getting 127 key patents for 6G technology.