Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently inaugurated BSNL’s entirely indigenous 4G network across India. During the event in Jharsuguda, Odisha, he also officially commissioned more than 97,500 BSNL mobile towers nationwide. These cutting-edge 4G towers, built entirely with domestically developed technology, represent an investment of approximately Rs. 37,000 crore. This achievement positions India among a select group of nations capable of developing their own telecom equipment. This crucial initiative is part of the broader Digital Bharat Nidhi program, which aims to achieve complete 4G network saturation across the country.
Key Details of BSNL’s Indigenous 4G Network and Tower Rollout
BSNL’s new, fully indigenous 4G “stack” — referring to the complete set of software and hardware components for a network — is a testament to India’s growing technological self-reliance. This project also represents one of the largest deployments of telecom infrastructure ever undertaken in the country.
An official statement highlighted the transformative nature of this “Swadeshi” (indigenous) 4G network rollout. It aligns perfectly with the Prime Minister’s vision of a Digital India, aiming to significantly reduce the digital divide and empower rural communities. Furthermore, officials noted that the new network is built on a cloud-based architecture, making it future-ready and easily upgradable to 5G technology when the time comes.
Of the more than 97,500 towers inaugurated nationwide, BSNL is responsible for commissioning 92,600. An additional 18,900 sites received funding through the Digital Bharat Nidhi program, ensuring broader reach. These new towers are set to bring vital connectivity to over 26,000 previously unconnected villages, especially in remote and border regions. For instance, in Odisha alone, approximately 2,472 villages will now have access to this new network.
Officials anticipate that these newly deployed towers will serve more than 2 million new subscribers across various states, including Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Assam, Gujarat, and Bihar.
A remarkable feature of this initiative is that many of these new towers are solar-powered, making it one of India’s largest clusters of green telecom infrastructure. Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia previously detailed the architecture, explaining that the core network was developed by C-DoT, the Radio Access Network (RAN) by Tejas Networks, and the overall systems integration was handled by TCS.
This ambitious project places India among a select group of nations, including Denmark, Sweden, South Korea, and China, that have successfully developed their own indigenous telecom equipment. The Prime Minister has reiterated his full commitment to achieving 4G network saturation under the Digital Bharat Nidhi initiative, aiming to extend connectivity to approximately 29,000 to 30,000 villages nationwide.