HFCL to partner private telcos, BSNL to deploy 5G services

Telecom equipment provider HFCL will partner with private telcos and state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) to deploy its 5G private network solutions over the coming year, a senior executive said. The telecom-tech company has started presenting proof of concepts to deploy multiple private 5G use cases across manufacturing, warehousing, mining and healthcare.

“Our preferred option is to partner with the telcos to build the solutions for our enterprise customers. A couple of reasons for this-telcos already have the spectrum available with them, and they come with expertise in network planning,” Jayanta Dey, executive president-5G at HFCL, told ET.

Additionally, partnering with telcos also ensures that public and private 5G networks interoperate seamlessly and ensure there is no interference of one in the other from a network planning point of view, he said.

Last year, the government notified rules around setting up a private captive network for enterprises. Enterprises can now get spectrum in three ways-asking telcos to set up a captive network, leasing spectrum from a telco or taking airwaves directly from the government, and setting it up themselves using system integrators, which typically are software companies.