In a landmark push for India’s digital infrastructure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited’s (BSNL) indigenously developed 4G stack, placing India among a select group of nations capable of producing their own telecom equipment.
The launch, coinciding with BSNL’s silver jubilee celebrations, also saw the commissioning of more than 97,500 mobile towers, including over 92,600 advanced 4G technology sites, built at an investment of nearly ₹37,000 crore.
Officials highlighted that the “Swadeshi” 4G stack is cloud-based, scalable, and future-ready, designed to seamlessly upgrade to 5G. With this, India joins the ranks of Denmark, Sweden, South Korea, and China in the elite league of countries that manufacture homegrown telecom technology.
VIDEO | Jharsuguda, Odisha: PM Modi commissions more than 97,500 mobile 4G towers built at a cost of around Rs 37,000 crore with indigenous technology.
(Source: Third Party)#4GConnectivity
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/TxKNtOrdb0
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The rollout is being hailed as a transformative step under the Prime Minister’s Digital India vision, aimed at bridging the connectivity gap in rural and remote areas. More than 26,700 unconnected villages, including 2,472 in Odisha, spread across border regions and left-wing extremism-affected districts, will now gain mobile access, benefiting over 20 lakh new subscribers.
In addition, the Prime Minister unveiled the 100% 4G saturation project under the Digital Bharat Nidhi initiative, which is connecting nearly 29,000 to 30,000 villages across India in mission mode.
This ambitious rollout is expected to not only enhance connectivity but also lay a strong foundation for India’s upcoming 5G expansion, empowering rural communities and narrowing the digital divide.
