NEW DELHI, March 20 -- Vodafone Idea and state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) have started talks on sharing towers, fibre and even spectrum, in a push to cut costs, improve network reach for both operators, and potentially accelerate 5G rollout.

The discussions, confirmed by the department of telecommunications (DoT) to a parliamentary panel, come as both operators grapple with capital constraints and uneven network strength across regions, prompting a rethink on overlapping network infrastructure.

"Discussions have started between the two of them. The Department will report progress regarding this by next year," telecom secretary Amit Agrawal told the parliamentary committee as cited in its report dated 16 March available on the...