ODISHA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated transformative development projects exceeding ₹60,000 crore in Odisha, spanning key areas like telecom, railways, healthcare, and education.
The cornerstone of the day’s events was the official launch of BSNL’s fully indigenous “Swadeshi” 4G network stack from Jharsuguda, Odisha. This landmark achievement places India in an exclusive group of just five nations globally—alongside Denmark, Sweden, South Korea, and China—capable of designing and manufacturing its own complete 4G telecom technology stack.
Decades of Dependence Ended
For years, India was reliant on international vendors for critical telecom infrastructure (2G, 3G, and 4G). The successful, mission-mode development of the “Bharat Telecom Stack” in just 22 months signifies a complete transformation, shifting India from a tech importer to a creator and innovation hub.
The breakthrough is the result of unprecedented collaboration, with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) leading the execution alongside the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), Tejas Networks, and BSNL. This fully integrated, cloud-based network is designed for seamless future upgrades to 5G.
Green Infrastructure and National Security
The network’s scale is immense, with over 97,500 towers commissioned nationwide. A crucial component involves using funds from the Digital Bharat Nidhi to connect 26,700 previously unserved villages in remote, border, and insurgency-affected regions.
These installations are solar-powered, creating India’s largest cluster of green telecom infrastructure and currently serving over 20 lakh new subscribers.
Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia emphasized that the indigenous technology significantly bolsters national security by removing foreign dependencies in critical communications infrastructure. The launch, which coincided with BSNL’s 25th anniversary, fully realizes the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision and positions India as a future global telecom manufacturing and export hub.
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