BSNL’s SIM-free Q-5G arrives in Hyderabad: What is it and who can use it?
BSNL Q-5G FWA plans starts at Rs 999 per month and offers speeds up to 100 Mbps. The telecom operator plans to expand the service to other cities in the near future.
BSNL's Q-5G is currently available in Hyderabad. (FIle photo)
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), on Wednesday, June 18, announced that its 5G service will be called Q-5G, short for Quantum 5G. In a post on X, BSNL said that the name “reflects the power, speed, and future of BSNL’s 5G network.”
The state-owned telecom operator has also launched Q-5G Fixed Wireless Access (Q-5G FWA), an internet leased line for enterprises. BSNL says that Quantum 5G FWA will bring “only high-speed data without voice” and offers a SIM-free, wireless solution for enterprises.
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BSNL’s new Q-5G FWA service is aimed at tier-2 and tier-3 cities, where optical fibre cables are quite rare. Based on technology developed in India, the network operator’s newest service will help deliver high-speed internet to businesses, offices and residential areas where the network is patchy or absent.
However, unlike normal 5G services offered by Airtel, Jio and Vodafone Idea, BSNL’s Q-5G FWA does not include voice, which means users won’t be able to make calls. In case you are wondering, this is similar to Airtel Xstream Fiber and Jio AirFiber, which offer fast internet connectivity without SIM or wires.
Similar to these aforementioned services, BSNL will install a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) on the customer’s rooftop, which will bring 5G connectivity and deliver internet to the user’s home using a router. BSNL’s new Q-5G FWA service offers a minimum speed of 100 Mbps and costs Rs 999 per month. The company is also offering a Rs 1,499 plan with speeds of up to 300 Mbps.
Currently, BSNL Q-5G FWA is limited to Hyderabad, but the telecom operator has already said that it plans to extend the service to cities like Bengaluru, Pondicherry, Vishakhapatna, Pune, Gwalior, and Chandigarh by September this year. In the last few months, the network operator has been actively testing its 5G networks in several Indian cities, but it is still unclear when it will be rolled out to the general public.
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