नवीनतम
PM Modi inaugurates BSNL’s 'Swadeshi' 4G network
NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, September 27, flipped a ceremonial switch in Jharsuguda, Odisha, signalling an inflection point in India’s telecom history. On the occasion of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited’s silver jubilee, the PM announced the launch of BSNL's Swadeshi 4G stack, built entirely by indigenous technology, marking India's official entry into the exclusive club of countries that design and manufacture their own telecom products.
Alongside the event, the Prime Minister also commissioned more than 97,500 mobile 4G towers. Around 92,600 of the new towers were developed on India’s 4G stack at a cost of approximately Rs 37,000 crore. The cloud-based network is scalable and fully upgradeable to 5G, and even to 6G, which will secure its use in future service provisions, officials confirmed.
In his remarks to the audience, Prime Minister Modi explained that the event was a critical juncture for both Odisha and India’s telecom services. “India’s companies have secured for us a position among the top five countries of the world that have developed indigenous technology to power 4G services,” Modi said. “It is because of BSNL that India is moving towards becoming a global telecom manufacturing hub. Border districts and remote villages, where high-speed internet was once a dream, will greatly benefit from this. Our soldiers will also be able to use safe indigenous services for connectivity.”
The Prime Minister contrasted India’s late entry into earlier telecom generations with the current achievement. “When 2G, 3G, and 4G began in the world, India was far behind. We all know the jokes that circulated on social media. But today, it is a matter of pride that BSNL has developed a Swadeshi 4G technology.”
Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who joined the launch from Delhi, hailed the project as an embodiment of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
“With this launch, India has become the fifth country in the world to manufacture telecom equipment,” he said. “Earlier, India was seen as a services nation and a consumer nation. Today, we are a producer nation, an innovation hub, a centre of entrepreneurship and exports.”
Scindia reminded that only Sweden, South Korea, China and Finland had comparable indigenous technology. “Now India joins that league,” he declared.
For BSNL, which turned 25 years old this October, the rollout isn't symbolic. After years of loss, decades of outdated infrastructure, and losing relevance due to private competition, the state-owned company has begun to turn profits again, up Rs 262 crore and Rs 280 crore in the last two quarters.
BSNL's subscribers have grown from 8.7 crore to 9 crore, while its 4G users rose from 0.8 crore to 2 crore in just a year. Officials called the Swadeshi Stack a “turnaround moment,” positioning BSNL not as a laggard but rather as the forefront of India’s self-reliance in telecom.
“This project represents the strength of Atmanirbhar Bharat. By building our own telecom stack, we ensure security and resiliency while positioning India as a global leader," a senior DoT officer remarked.
India’s indigenous 4G stack is already attracting international attention. Showcased at the G20 Summit, it has drawn interest from at least 18 countries exploring alternatives to foreign telecom vendors.
At a time when many nations are rethinking dependence on Chinese equipment, India offers a secure, transparent, and affordable solution. “This is not just about India,” a senior TCS executive said. “It is about providing the world a democratic, inclusive model of telecom infrastructure.”
Telecom Secretary Neeraj Mittal put the achievement in perspective. “India was always known for things like yoga, Bollywood, and cricket. Telecom now gets added to that list,” he said.
He noted that India already has 300–400 million 5G users, expected to grow to 770 million by 2028, with average data consumption of 27 GB per user per month. “India is positioned to shape global telecom standards with indigenous solutions as we move forward towards 6G,” Mittal added.
