India has officially joined an elite group of nations with the capacity to manufacture its own telecom equipment, as announced by Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. This milestone follows the launch of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited's (BSNL) indigenous 4G stack on Saturday, September 27, 2025. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swadeshi 4G stack nationwide.
With this achievement, India now stands among a select few countries, including Denmark, Sweden, China, and South Korea, that possess the capability to produce telecom equipment. Scindia emphasized that India's image has transformed from being primarily a service and consumer nation to a hub of production, innovation, entrepreneurship, and exports.
Speaking at an event marking the simultaneous launch of the Swadeshi 4G stack across the country by Prime Minister Modi from Odisha, Scindia stated that India was previously viewed as a service nation and a consumer nation, but it is now an innovation, entrepreneurship, and exports center. He further added that guided by Modi's vision of "innovate for India, innovate for humanity," the country has now entered the coveted league of nations that independently manufacture telecom equipment.
The development and launch of the indigenous 4G stack is a result of a bold decision made by Prime Minister Modi in 2020 to produce 4G equipment in India rather than purchasing it from foreign countries. In a record time of 22 months, India innovated and engineered its own domestic 4G stack, transitioning from a historically import-dependent nation to a self-reliant producer of telecom technology.
The deployment of BSNL's indigenous 4G network involves commissioning over 97,500 mobile 4G towers across the country. A significant portion of these towers utilize fully indigenized 4G technology that is also upgradable to 5G. The indigenous 4G tech stack features a Radio Access Network (RAN) developed by Tejas Network, a Core Network developed by C-DOT, and integration by Tata Consultancy Services.
The Communications Minister also highlighted the network's readiness for future upgrades, stating that the India-made network is cloud-based, future-ready, and can seamlessly upgrade to 5G. He noted that having perfected 4G, the country will be moving towards converting that to 5G as well, with existing 4G towers and BTSs already serving 22 million customers.
This achievement is expected to provide 4G network access to remote villages, border areas, islands, hilly terrains, and locations with low internet connectivity. The new 4G service is also slated for a gradual upgrade to 5G, with particular attention given to previously hard-to-reach areas, including insurgency-hit zones and remote regions like Jammu and Kashmir. The initiative aims to achieve complete connectivity saturation, emphasizing telecom as a life-sustaining bridge that will integrate remote villages into the global market.
Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has affirmed the government's commitment to bridging the digital divide, fostering innovation, and strengthening indigenous telecom manufacturing. He has directed Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to collaborate closely with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to provide actionable feedback within stipulated timelines. Scindia has emphasized that upcoming initiatives like the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025, the Telecom Manufacturing Zone (TMZ) in Gwalior, and the Innovation Centre at Jabalpur will play a crucial role in establishing India as a global hub for telecom technology, services, and manufacturing.
