PM Launches BSNL’s ‘Swadeshi’ 4G Stack

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated BSNL’s fully indigenous ‘Swadeshi’ 4G stack during the company’s silver jubilee celebration in Jharsuguda, Odisha. With this launch, India has formally joined the select league of nations like Denmark, Sweden, South Korea, and China that possess homegrown telecom manufacturing capabilities. The development marks a significant milestone for India’s self-reliance agenda under Digital India.

Massive Tower Rollout With Indigenous Technology

As part of the launch, the Prime Minister commissioned more than 97,500 mobile towers across the country. This includes more than 92,600 sites powered by fourth-generation technology at a total cost of approximately ₹37,000 crore. All towers have been developed using swadeshi technology, cementing India’s position in indigenous telecom infrastructure development.

Cloud-Based And Future-Ready Technology

Officials highlighted that the new Swadeshi 4G stack is completely cloud-based and designed to be future-ready. The system provides seamless upgradability to 5G, ensuring that BSNL’s network can quickly adapt to the next generation of telecom requirements without additional large-scale investments.

This rollout is expected to bring significant benefits to India’s unconnected and underserved regions. Over 26,700 villages—of which 2,472 are in Odisha—will now receive mobile connectivity. These include remote habitations, border areas, and regions affected by left-wing extremism. In total, the expansion is projected to serve more than 20 lakh new subscribers nationwide.

The newly commissioned telecom towers have also been designed with sustainability in mind. Solar energy powers these sites, creating the largest single cluster of solar-driven telecom infrastructure in India. This green initiative reduces the carbon footprint while providing reliable power in remote locations.

100 Percent 4G Saturation Through Bharat Nidhi

Alongside the 4G stack, the Prime Minister also unveiled India’s 100 percent 4G saturation project under the "Digital Bharat Nidhi." This initiative connects nearly 29,000–30,000 villages on a mission mode, ensuring universal digital access in line with the goal of bridging the rural-urban digital divide.

The Swadeshi 4G stack not only increases telecom penetration but also represents a strategic leap for India’s technological sovereignty. By reducing dependence on foreign telecom manufacturing, India strengthens its cybersecurity framework while supporting local hardware and software innovation. The project is aligned with the long-term vision of integrating BSNL’s network into India’s eventual nationwide 5G rollout.

Based On PTI Report