State-run telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is planning to invest Rs 7 billion to roll-out 40,000 Wi-Fi hotspots across India in 2017.
According to BSNL, the operator would use its existing long-term evolution (LTE) and optical fibre network for installing new Wi-Fi hotspots across the country, as it does not have the required spectrum to roll out 4G services.
BSNL has already deployed around 4,400 hotspots in the country. The operator plans to invest Rs 14 billion to install 80,000 hotspots in the next two years. Meanwhile, BSNL is looking to partner with private operators who can utilise frequencies in the 2,500 MHz spectrum band, already available with BSNL to roll out 4G services.
