Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), India’s state-owned telecom giant, has taken a historic leap by launching the country’s first fully indigenous 4G network, which is also 5G-ready by design. The announcement, made during BSNL’s 25th anniversary celebrations, was inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. This achievement not only strengthens India’s digital independence but also positions the nation among the world’s select few capable of deploying a homegrown telecom ecosystem.

Nationwide Rollout of Swadeshi 4G

As part of the rollout, BSNL confirmed that nearly 98,000 indigenous 4G towers have been deployed across the country, from remote villages to metro cities. The infrastructure is built entirely with Indian technology:

Core Network: Developed by C-DOT (Centre for Development of Telematics)

Radio Access Network (RAN): Designed by Tejas Networks

System Integration: Managed by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

Completed in just 22 months, this indigenous 4G stack eliminates decades-long dependency on foreign telecom vendors, enhancing India’s strategic autonomy and supply chain resilience.

Key Features of the Indigenous 4G Stack

The Swadeshi 4G platform brings next-generation capabilities:

End-to-End Indian Technology: Built and integrated entirely by Indian firms.

Cloud-Native & Software-Driven: Enables scalability, flexibility, and rapid upgrades.

5G Ready Infrastructure: Designed for seamless transition to 5G without major hardware changes.

Energy Efficiency & Reliability: Capable of handling 4 petabytes of data traffic daily with high security standards.

Benefits and National Impact

BSNL’s Swadeshi 4G rollout promises wide-reaching impact across sectors:

Digital Sovereignty: Reduces reliance on global telecom suppliers, boosting national security.

Employment Growth: Thousands of jobs created through indigenous manufacturing.

Rural Connectivity: 92,000+ sites now live, bringing high-speed internet to 22 million citizens, including 2 million first-time internet users.

Export Potential: Several countries have already expressed interest in India’s 4G stack.

Financial Turnaround: BSNL posted profitable quarters for the first time in 17 years, showing renewed confidence in indigenous telecom solutions.

Empowering Citizens

The nationwide deployment strengthens multiple sectors:

Education: Brings online learning to rural schools.

Agriculture: Farmers gain access to crop prices, weather forecasts, and AI-driven advisory.

Healthcare: Boosts telemedicine and remote diagnostics.

Defense & Security: Provides secure, indigenous communication channels for armed forces.

India’s 5G Leadership

India’s 5G rollout has been one of the fastest in the world:

Launch: October 1, 2022

Coverage: 2,00,000 sites across 700 districts in just 8 months

Nationwide Expansion: Now covering all 28 states and 8 Union Territories

Scale: 4.86 lakh Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) deployed by June 2025

With rapid adoption, India now accounts for over half of global 5G coverage growth, reaching 80% of its population.

5G Use Cases in India

The rollout is transforming industries and services:

Agriculture: IoT and AI-based precision farming

Healthcare: Real-time diagnostics, remote surgeries, and telemedicine

Education: AR/VR-enabled immersive classrooms

Industry 4.0: Robotics, automation, and smart factories

Smart Cities: Intelligent transport, traffic management, and energy systems

Media & Gaming: Enhanced streaming and immersive e-sports

Roadmap Toward 6G

India is preparing for the next leap with the Bharat 6G Mission, targeting global deployment by 2030.

Key initiatives include:

Bharat 6G Alliance: Collaboration across academia, research bodies, and industry.

100 5G/6G Labs: Driving innovation and skill development.

Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF): ₹275.88 crore approved for 104 projects by mid-2025.

Global Cooperation: Strategic MoUs signed with international 6G alliances.

Research Focus: IIIT Bangalore spearheading breakthroughs in O-RAN Massive MIMO and Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces.

Global Context

ITU Report 2024: 5.5 billion people (68% of the world’s population) are now online.

India’s Role: Contributed to more than 50% of global 5G coverage growth.

GSMA Index 2025: India’s 5G data traffic tripled in 2024, accounting for 36% of total mobile traffic, up from 15% in 2023.

Conclusion

The launch of BSNL’s Swadeshi 4G (5G-ready) Network is more than a telecom upgrade—it’s a strategic milestone for Digital India. By combining homegrown technology with rapid deployment, BSNL has created a self-reliant digital ecosystem that enhances connectivity, fuels job creation, and boosts India’s standing as a global telecom leader.

As India accelerates towards 6G and Viksit Bharat 2047, this achievement underscores the country’s determination to remain at the forefront of global technology innovation while strengthening its own digital sovereignty and economic resilience.

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