PM launches BSNL’s ‘swadeshi’ 4G network, connects 30K rural villages

In a boost to telecommunication infrastructure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated BSNL’s ‘Swadeshi’ 4G stack, marking India’s entry into a coveted league of nations that manufacture telecom equipment.

Modi, who launched the facility on the occasion of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited’s silver jubilee, also commissioned more than 97,500 mobile 4G towers, including 92,600 4G technology sites of the telecom service provider.

These towers have been built at a cost of around 37,000 crore with ‘swadeshi’ (indigenous) technology, he said.

While lauding the BSNL and its partners’ dedication, Modi said the launch of the ‘Swadeshi’ 4G stack marked India’s entry into a league of nations such as Denmark, Sweden, South Korea, and China, which manufacture homegrown telecom equipment.

Stating that when telecom services like 2G, 3G, and 4G were introduced globally and India remained dependent on foreign technology for these services, Modi said, “Now, India is advancing towards becoming a global telecom manufacturing hub”.

The PM said the expansion of 4G technology will directly benefit over two crore people nationwide. “Approximately 30,000 villages, which previously lacked high-speed internet access, will now be connected through this initiative,” Modi said. He added that the 4G services will benefit tribal regions, remote villages, and hilly areas the most.