Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil a fully indigenous, software-driven Swadeshi 4G network along with the rollout of nearly 98,000 new mobile towers across the country on September 27, said Minister of Communications & Development of North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday.
Calling it a “historic milestone,” Scindia said the initiative will ensure no part of India is left without connectivity. The 4G towers are already serving 22 million customers across the country. The network is designed to be seamlessly upgradable to 5G, making it future-ready.
“This is a transformative moment for India. Students in Bihar will have access to world-class online education, farmers in Punjab will receive real-time mandi price updates, soldiers in Kashmir will stay connected with their families, and entrepreneurs in the North East will be empowered to access global expertise and funding,” Scindia said.
The project marks India’s entry into the league of top telecom equipment manufacturers. The indigenous 4G stack includes a Radio Access Network (RAN) developed by Tejas Networks, a core network by C-DOT, and system integration by TCS, deployed by BSNL under the government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision.
Scindia also announced the completion of India’s 100% 4G saturation network under the Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) initiative, connecting nearly 29,000 villages. This comes ahead of BSNL’s silver jubilee celebrations marking 25 years of service.
Secretary Telecom Dr. Neeraj Mittal highlighted the journey from skepticism to success in developing and deploying a homegrown 4G network, crediting youth participation, industry collaboration, and real-time monitoring for achieving self-reliance in telecom technology.
With this milestone, India is not just providing world-class telecom services to 1.2 billion people, but also emerging as a global hub for telecom equipment manufacturing, reinforcing its role as a driver of global digital growth and inclusion.
