Industry Odisha Bureau, Oct 13: Tejas Networks and C-DOT say their BSNL equipment meets 3GPP standards and TRAI benchmarks. BSNL wants relaxed or phased timelines for new quality-of-service rules. It cites its duty to buy Indian-made gear.
Tejas Networks and C-DOT have defended the equipment they supply to BSNL. Both say it meets or exceeds quality benchmarks set by the telecom regulator, TRAI. Tejas is owned by the Tata Group, while C-DOT is state-owned.
Their response follows a submission by BSNL, the state-run telecom operator. BSNL commented on TRAI’s draft amendments to quality-of-service norms. The proposed changes cover access and broadband services. Compliance timelines decide when operators must meet new targets. BSNL asked for relaxed rules or a phased compliance timeline. It repeated those views at a recent open house discussion.
At the heart of BSNL’s case is its Make in India mandate. BSNL is required to source indigenous telecom equipment. The operator says private rivals face no such sourcing mandate. It calls this an asymmetric obligation. BSNL told TRAI that Indian suppliers are still maturing their products. It argued this limits its performance on strict, technology-neutral benchmarks. Some factors, it said, lie outside its direct control.
The suppliers see things differently. Both said their equipment complies with 3GPP standards. 3GPP is a global body that writes technical specifications for mobile networks. These rules help equipment from different vendors work together. Both firms also stressed that their gear meets or exceeds TRAI benchmarks. These remain the suppliers’ own assessments.
The dispute turns on what counts as compliance. A piece of equipment can meet its technical specifications. Yet consumer service quality depends on the whole network. Deployment, integration, capacity, coverage and maintenance all play a part. So 3GPP compliance and TRAI’s service benchmarks are separate tests. Passing one does not automatically mean passing the other.
TRAI, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, sets these service standards. They aim to make network reliability measurable for consumers. Its benchmarks are technology-neutral. They judge service outcomes, not which supplier built the network.
Make in India procurement aims to build domestic telecom technology and manufacturing. C-DOT, the government’s telecom research arm, develops indigenous network solutions. Tejas is among India’s key domestic equipment makers. BSNL’s network therefore serves as a test of home-grown gear. The submission does not establish defects in Indian equipment. Nor do the suppliers’ replies settle questions about overall network performance.
The outcome matters beyond BSNL. Phased timelines could ease pressure on the state operator’s modernisation. Uniform rules, by contrast, keep a single service standard for all operators. Indigenous suppliers also have a stake in how their equipment is judged.
The amendments remain a draft, with stakeholder comments now before TRAI. Its final rules will settle how fast BSNL must comply. They will also shape who answers for network-level quality.
