BSNL wants telecom ministry to pay Rs 99 crore reimbursement due to this ‘delay’ from TCS

State-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has reportedly sought reimbursement of Rs 99 crore from the government. According to a report in Economic Times, quoting a letter dated June 3, 2024, addressed to the Administrator, USOF, Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the state-run BSNL has requested reimbursement of Rs 99 crore from the government.
This request arises from the additional operations and maintenance (O&M) cost that BSNL is likely to incur due to delays in the delivery and commissioning of Evolved Node B (eNB) equipment by the supplier consortium led by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
The consortium also includes Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) and Tejas Networks, providing core and radio equipment respectively for the project.

What BSNL letter says on ‘delay’ from TCS

According to the letter by BSNL’s GM (NWP-SP), Reena Malhotra, there’s a delay in installation and commissioning of core equipment in four zones by TCS, which could persist for an average of six months. This has resulted in a postponement of commissioning sites under the 4G saturation project.
BSNL argues that it’s proceeding with tower and passive infrastructure installation, enabling TCS to swiftly deploy eNBs upon equipment receipt.
Malhotra has urged DoT to consider this an “exceptional case” and compensate BSNL for the additional O&M cost at approximately Rs 55,000 per site for two quarters across roughly 9,000 impacted sites.
This request for Rs 99 crore reimbursement comes in the backdrop of the Centre approving a Rs 26,316 crore project in July 2022 to saturate 4G mobile services in uncovered villages across the country.
The project targets providing 4G connectivity in 24,680 uncovered villages in remote and difficult areas with the flexibility to include an additional 20% for various contingencies. Additionally, 6,279 villages with only 2G or 3G services will be upgraded to 4G. BSNL is executing this project with funding support from the USOF.