J&K Gets 1,790 BSNL 4G Sites as Government Expands Indigenous Telecom Network

Minister of State for Communications and Development Dr Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar said 1,843 4G sites have been planned for Jammu and Kashmir to improve mobile connectivity across the Union Territory. Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel

Of these, 1,790 sites have been installed, while 1,748 were commissioned as of July 3, 2026, the minister said.

The expansion is part of the government’s wider efforts to improve telecom and digital connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country.

402 4G Sites Installed in Ladakh

In the Union Territory of Ladakh, the government has planned 404 4G sites.

According to the minister, 402 sites have been installed, of which 343 have been commissioned so far.

The expansion is expected to strengthen mobile and digital connectivity, particularly in areas where telecom infrastructure has traditionally been limited.

Government Steps to Strengthen BSNL

The government has taken several measures to strengthen Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), improve its financial position and make its operations more competitive.

These measures include expanding telecom and rural digital connectivity, reducing operational costs and promoting the development of indigenous telecommunications technology.

The government has approved revival packages worth around ₹3.18 lakh crore for BSNL. This includes a sovereign guarantee of ₹31,328 crore to help the company raise long-term Sovereign Guarantee Bonds (SGBs) for debt restructuring.

BSNL’s Revival Packages

The first major BSNL revival package, worth around ₹58,281 crore, was approved in 2019.

It included measures to reduce employee costs through the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS), restructure debt through Sovereign Guarantee Bonds and provide spectrum to BSNL through capital infusion.

A second revival package worth around ₹1.62 lakh crore was approved in 2022.

The package focused on spectrum allocation through capital infusion, settlement of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues, capital expenditure, viability gap funding for rural wireline services, debt restructuring and re-issue of preference share capital.

In 2023, the government approved the allocation of 4G and 5G spectrum to BSNL at a total cost of around ₹89,047 crore.

The government later approved an additional ₹6,982 crore in 2025 as capital expenditure support for BSNL’s nationwide 4G rollout.

BSNL Expands Indigenous 4G Network

Dr Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar also highlighted the government’s focus on developing home-grown telecommunications technology under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

As of July 31, 2026, BSNL had installed 98,557 indigenous 4G sites across India against a target of one lakh sites.

Of these, 97,213 sites were on-air, marking significant progress in the nationwide rollout of BSNL’s indigenous 4G network.

The expansion of BSNL’s 4G infrastructure is expected to strengthen digital connectivity across rural and remote regions while supporting India’s efforts to develop and deploy its own telecommunications technology.