Key Points

Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the India Mobile Congress (IMC) in New Delhi, Dua said, "We already have done the testing for the 5G. Our network, which is 4G right now, is upgradable and the trials already are in the field. So very soon we'll be rolling out our 5G stuff also."

Earlier on September 27, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India's fully indigenous 4G stack and one lakh BSNL indigenous 4G towers from Jharsuguda, Odisha.

Speaking about the country's growing focus on satellite communication, Dua said, "The initiatives taken by government in the last couple of months is really going to unlock the whole space. The space policy itself is unlocking the space."

He highlighted how satellite technology, combined with fibre and radio networks, will help bridge the connectivity gap across India's diverse terrain. "Because the kind of territory that we live in and the kind of connectivity that we are expecting to give to our citizens, this is one technology which has a very, very high potential," he said.

Dua believes that international investment will further accelerate India's SATCOM progress. "By bringing in investment from our international partners, that will really help the country to go really fast on this path," he added. He emphasised the complementary role of satellite connectivity alongside fibre and radio networks to connect the unconnected and democratize access to digital services: "So it's like democratising the connectivity and making it available to one and all."

On BSNL's transformation journey, Dua acknowledged the government's sustained support and internal reforms. "The government has really invested a lot in the last three years... And at the same time, the management in BSNL is putting a lot of effort, which is very customer-centric, to bring customer delight."

Referring to BSNL's progress, he added, "You would see in the market that the customer base, the customer delight has really improved in the last one year or so." He highlighted the ongoing BharatNet program, which aims for "100 percent villages in the country" to be connected, with the current investment already "sufficient to have the connectivity enabled for the urban as well as the complete rural India."

On future technologies, Dua said AI will be central to the evolution from 5G to 6G, adding, "the way things have evolved from 4G to 5G the role of AI is the key thing in the 6G network and the automation in the network the self learning self healing all these aspects are again very very consumer centric and the networks really are going to bring that benefit to customers."

- ANI