Representational image of the BSNL logo on a building
| Photo Credit: G.R.N. Somashekar

The Union government confirmed a data breach in BSNL’s systems, saying that the breach was reported on May 20.

“Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) reported possible intrusion and Data Breach at BSNL on 20.05.2024,” Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said on Wednesday in a written response to a Lok Sabha query by Congress MP Amar Singh.

While the breach led to “no service outage,” Dr. Pemmasani said, “one [BSNL] server was having the data similar to the sample data shared by CERT-In.”

An inter-ministerial committee has been formed to “conduct audit of the telecom networks and suggest remedial measures for prevention of data breaches in the telecom networks”, Dr. Pemmasani said.

A report in June by the London-headquartered Athenian Tech said that this “breach involves a substantial amount of sensitive data including International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) numbers, SIM card information, and Home Location Register (HLR) details, among other critical data.”

The data was “critical” enough to provide hackers an opening into BSNL’s networks, the report said, and let attackers “clone” SIM cards of users.

BSNL will gradually increase network deployment to 6,000 and then to 9,000, 12,000 and 15,000 sites per month.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

State-owned telecom firm BSNL is planning to launch 4G service in December at a small scale and then roll it out across the country by June next year, Chairman and Managing Director P.K. Purwar said on Saturday.

Speaking to PTI at the India Mobile Congress, Mr. Purwar said that the company plans to upgrade 4G service to 5G after June.

“BSNL 4G service is ready for launch in Punjab in December. We have already done the hardening required for a network with 200 sites. We are in the process of installing 3,000 sites in Punjab,” Mr. Purwar said.

He said that BSNL will gradually increase network deployment to 6,000 and then to 9,000, 12,000 and 15,000 sites per month.

“Our target is to complete 4G roll-out by June 2024. Post June 2024, we will be moving to 5G services,” Mr. Purwar said.

IT company TCS and government-owned ITI have bagged orders worth about ₹19,000 crore from BSNL for deploying 4G network which is upgradable to 5G.

Mr. Purwar said that the BSNL has enough spectrum to deploy 5G services, once 4G roll-out is completed.

The Indian Army has established the world’s first mobile tower and base transceiver station (BTS) on the Siachen Glacier, the highest battlefield on Earth, with the help of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). The tower was inaugurated on October 6 and will provide mobile communication services to soldiers at an altitude of over 15,500 feet.

A base transceiver station is a radio transceiver that connects mobile devices to a cellular network. It sends and receives radio signals to mobile devices and converts them to digital signals that are then routed to other devices in the network or to the Internet.

“Siachen Warriors, in collaboration with BSNL, established the first ever BSNL BTS at forward posts of the highest battlefield on October 6 to extend mobile communication for the soldiers deployed at more than 15,500 feet,” the Fire and Fury Corps of the Indian Army posted on X (formerly Twitter).

#IndianArmy#Siachen Warriors in collaboration with BSNL established first ever BSNL BTS at forward posts of the highest battlefield on 06 October to extend mobile communication for the soldiers deployed at more than 15,500 feet#SiachenWarriors@NorthernComd_IA@lg_ladakh… pic.twitter.com/54D8HrXWQe

— @firefurycorps_IA (@firefurycorps) October 12, 2023

Meanwhile, the District Magistrate of Leh, Santosh Sukhadeve, has thanked the Indian Army for their quick response in erecting a fence and clearing an area of over 175 mines.

“On behalf of Phobrang, Yourgo, and Lukung villagers, we thank the Fire and Fury Corps for their swift action in fencing and clearing the area by successfully destroying over 175 mines,” he posted on X.

On behalf of Phobrang, Yourgo, and Lukung villagers, we thank the Fire and Fury Corps @firefurycorps@adgpi for their swift action in fencing and clearing the area by successfully destroying over 175 mines.@lg_ladakh@LAHDC_LEHpic.twitter.com/UtFyV2YpB1

— Santosh Sukhadeve (@santoshsukhdeve) October 12, 2023

Siachen Glacier is known as the highest-altitude battle site in the world and is situated near the Indo-Pak Line of Control. It is the largest glacier in India and the second-largest in the world. It is the highest battleground on earth.

The establishment of a mobile tower on the Siachen Glacier is a significant achievement, given the harsh conditions and the ongoing conflict in the region. The tower will provide soldiers with a much-needed lifeline to their families and loved ones, and it will also improve their ability to communicate with each other and with their commanders.

(With inputs from agencies)