State-owned telecom behemoth Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) is gearing up to launch the much-awaited 4G telecommunication services by as soon as 1 March as it has sought the release of spectrum from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) of the Government of India, reports Hindu Businessline.

The launch of 4G services would be a significant development which would help the telecom giant to compete with the three private sector telecom majors- Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea.

“BSNL has written to DoT asking the licensor to release spectrum, as agreed by the Government earlier, to start 4G services by March 1. A technology-driven company, launching of 4G services is an important milestone in its revival plan, which is necessary to keep abreast with competition,” a source close to the development told BusinessLine.

First, the BSNL had sought the 4G spectrum from the DoT in 2017. However, the Government gave its nod for the release of coveted spectrum to the BSNL in October 2018 when it also announced its acquisition of other ailing state-owned telecom company MTNL.

The company has since undertaken a major restructuring exercise under which it conducted a massive voluntary retirement scheme (VRS). The company has also initiated paying back its dues to vendors and contract labourers.