INVC NEWS
New Delhi — : Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has officially entered India’s 5G space with the launch of its first Quantum 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) service. The telecom giant conducted a soft launch from its Ameerpet exchange in Hyderabad, marking a significant move toward next-generation wireless connectivity. According to field tests, the new service offers download speeds of up to 980 Mbps and upload speeds of 140 Mbps, all with latency under 10 milliseconds — ideal for 4K video streaming, cloud gaming, and remote work environments.
India’s First SIM-less 5G Network Goes Live
What sets BSNL’s 5G FWA apart is its Direct-to-Device, SIM-less design. This is the first production-grade SIM-less 5G service in India, providing auto-authentication without the need for a physical SIM card. The company is leveraging its proprietary technology stack built entirely in India, aligning with the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self-Reliant India) initiative.
From the core network to RAN (Radio Access Network) and CPE (Customer Premises Equipment), every component of BSNL’s 5G FWA setup is indigenously developed, making it a fully local solution in the global 5G rollout.
Speed and Performance Backed by Real-World Testing
Initial testing conducted at Ameerpet demonstrated blazing-fast performance, reaching 980 Mbps downloads and 140 Mbps uploads, with latency clocking in at less than 10ms. These speeds make the service highly suitable for:
4K Ultra HD streaming
Cloud-based multiplayer gaming
Video conferencing and remote work applications
With a plug-and-play gateway, users won’t need optical fiber for setup. Installation is quick and seamless, and BSNL estimates that its service can cover 85% of households in Hyderabad using the existing tower infrastructure.
BSNL Quantum 5G FWA Plans and Pricing
BSNL has introduced two initial price tiers for its 5G FWA service:
₹999/month for 100 Mbps
₹1,499/month for 300 Mbps
The company has not yet revealed full details regarding bundled data usage or voice calling benefits included in these plans. However, these competitive entry-level tariffs make BSNL 5G an attractive option in the rapidly growing Indian broadband market.
BSNL’s Expansion Plans: 6 Cities to Join the Pilot Project
BSNL plans to extend the Quantum 5G FWA pilot project to six major Indian cities by September 2025, including:
Bengaluru
Puducherry
Visakhapatnam
Pune
Gwalior
Chandigarh
The telecom operator is targeting not just urban homes, but also smart industrial clusters and MSMEs, offering SLA-backed, network-sliced connectivity via its 5G standalone core network.
Boosting Rural Digital India With Indigenous 5G
The new 5G initiative is also expected to play a pivotal role in bridging the digital divide in India’s rural and remote regions. BSNL aims to deliver affordable, high-speed internet access through its wireless infrastructure, bypassing the need for expensive fiber deployment in hard-to-reach areas.
As part of India’s broader digital transformation, BSNL’s Quantum 5G FWA is positioned as a game-changer for nationwide broadband access, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets where connectivity challenges persist.
