Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu lauded India’s brave decision in 2020 to withdraw its global telecom tender. This pivotal move ensured the nation’s telecom future would not be reliant on foreign suppliers, paving the way for BSNL to develop its own 4G technology stack. He firmly stated that the remarkable technological progress by BSNL and its collaborators in telecom and IT is set to establish India as a global leader in the sector by the year 2047.
During a virtual address from Vijayawada, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated BSNL’s “Swadeshi” (indigenous) 4G network in Jharsuguda, Odisha, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu reflected on India’s journey. This 5G-ready network was a collaborative effort by a BSNL-led consortium, including the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), TCS, and Tejas Networks Limited. Naidu emphasized that the era of sluggish ‘lightning calls’—which often took a week to process—and India’s initial struggles to leverage information technology are now distant memories.
The Chief Minister recalled the significant advancements in the telecom sector, attributing much of this progress to Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s decision to deregulate it. Vajpayee recognized the immense potential for telecom to revolutionize both the economy and the daily lives of ordinary citizens. Despite initial skepticism from former Prime Ministers H. D. Deve Gowda and I. K. Gujral about opening up the sector, the Vajpayee Government ultimately propelled this revolution. Naidu proudly recounted his own crucial involvement as the Head of the IT Task Force during that period, including valuable discussions with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and insights gained from studying Lucent Technologies’ expertise in telecom equipment manufacturing.
Detailing the remarkable evolution of India’s telecom sector, the Chief Minister noted a staggering growth from just 14.88 lakh subscribers in March 1997 to over a billion today. He cited the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) as a prime example of India’s innovative spirit, with its digital payment model now being adopted by nations like France and Singapore. This, he asserted, clearly demonstrates India’s intellectual prowess and capacity to create world-class technologies. Naidu expressed strong optimism, predicting that India will achieve 6G network capabilities by 2030, and underscored the critical importance of patenting these emerging technological innovations.
Mr. Naidu also shared exciting news regarding Andhra Pradesh’s technological future, announcing plans to launch India’s first Quantum Computer in Amaravati by January 2026. He proudly pointed out that Andhra Pradesh leads the nation in providing over 700 citizen services via WhatsApp, a feat unmatched by any other state. He committed to demonstrating how smartphones have significantly elevated the living standards of DWCRA and MEPMA beneficiaries, pledging to harness the full potential of new telecom technologies for the betterment of the public.
Adding to the discussion, Union Minister of State for Telecommunications Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar highlighted that the revolutionary changes in the telecom sector were driven by a strong focus on reducing call and data costs, extending connectivity to rural areas, and delivering high-speed internet to even the most remote parts of the country.
Sekhar also noted a massive surge in mobile phone manufacturing, from 60 lakh units annually in India during 2014-15 to an astonishing 33 crore units today. He underscored India’s achievement in joining an exclusive club of five nations (alongside Sweden, Finland, China, and South Korea) that dominate telecom gear manufacturing, matching their production scale. While acknowledging BSNL’s current infrastructure of 1,00,000 mobile towers compared to private giants like Jio (4,00,000) and Airtel (5,00,000), he expressed confidence that the indigenous 4G network would significantly boost the public sector telecom operator.
Distinguished attendees at the event included Minister for Health Y. Satya Kumar, Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath, BJP State President P.V.N. Madhav, C-DOT CEO R. K. Upadhyay, BSNL Director (Consumer Fixed Access) Vivek Banzal, and CGM (AP) M. Seshachalam.