India has taken a big leap in telecom technology. PM Narendra Modi on Saturday launched Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited’s (BSNL) ‘Swadeshi’ 4G stack. With this, India joined a select group of countries like Denmark, Sweden, South Korea, and China that design and build their own telecom equipment.
The launch happened during the silver jubilee celebrations of BSNL. On this occasion, the PM also commissioned more than 97,500 4G mobile towers across the country. Out of these, 92,600 are BSNL’s own 4G technology sites.
Investment in Indigenous Technology
The government built these towers at a cost of around ₹37,000 crore. Officials said the network is cloud-based, future-ready, and can easily upgrade to 5G. This puts India on track for a smooth transition to advanced networks without depending on foreign suppliers.
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“The rollout of the ‘swadeshi’ 4G network is a transformative step in line with the PM’s vision of a Digital India, bridging the digital divide and empowering rural communities, while paving the way for BSNL’s 5G upgrade and integration,” an official statement said.
Expanding Connectivity to Rural & Remote Areas
The new network will connect over 26,700 unconnected villages. This includes 2,472 villages in Odisha and many in remote, border, and left-wing extremism-affected regions. Officials said this will serve over 20 lakh new subscribers.
The towers are solar-powered. This makes them India’s largest cluster of green telecom sites. It also makes the rollout an important step towards sustainable infrastructure.
100% 4G Saturation Mission
The PM also launched India’s first 100 per cent 4G saturation network through Digital Bharat Nidhi. Under this, around 29,000 to 30,000 villages will get connected under a mission-mode project.
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This means India is not just expanding digital reach but also moving closer to universal telecom coverage.
Boost for Atmanirbhar Bharat & Global Positioning
The move also strengthens the government’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) initiative. For decades, India depended on foreign companies for telecom gear. Now, with its own 4G stack, India reduces this dependency.
It also gains a stronger position in the global telecom supply chain at a time when nations are looking for secure, reliable, and homegrown alternatives. This development could also open export opportunities for India’s telecom equipment in emerging markets, making BSNL a potential global player.
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