PM Modi Launches BSNL’s Swadeshi 4G Network in Odisha

RR Team

2 months ago

Jharsuguda, Odisha: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited’s (BSNL) indigenous 4G stack, marking India’s formal entry into the elite group of nations that produce homegrown telecom technology. The launch coincided with BSNL’s silver jubilee celebrations in Odisha’s Jharsuguda.

The Prime Minister also commissioned more than 97,500 mobile towers, of which 92,600 are powered by BSNL’s 4G technology. Developed at a cost of around ₹37,000 crore, these towers are part of India’s largest cluster of green telecom sites, running primarily on solar energy.

A Leap Towards Digital Self-Reliance

With this rollout, India has joined the ranks of countries like South Korea, Sweden, Denmark, and China in building indigenous telecom infrastructure. The swadeshi 4G network is cloud-based, scalable, and ready for a seamless transition to 5G, officials confirmed.

Speaking at the event, PM Modi said the initiative reflects his government’s commitment to Digital India. “The swadeshi 4G stack bridges the digital divide, empowers rural communities, and strengthens India’s technological sovereignty,” he noted.

Connecting Remote Villages

The network expansion will bring connectivity to 26,700 previously unconnected villages, including 2,472 in Odisha. Many of these areas lie in remote, border, and left-wing extremism-affected regions. The move is expected to serve over 20 lakh new subscribers nationwide.

In addition, under the Digital Bharat Nidhi initiative, India has achieved 100% 4G saturation across 29,000 to 30,000 villages. Officials described this as a mission-mode project designed to ensure that no community is left behind in the digital revolution.

Sustainable and Future-Ready

A defining feature of the new infrastructure is its reliance on renewable energy. By deploying solar-powered towers, BSNL has positioned the rollout as both an economic and environmental milestone. Experts believe this will reduce operational costs and enhance sustainability in rural deployments.

The swadeshi 4G launch is expected to pave the way for BSNL’s 5G integration, making the public sector operator competitive against private telecom companies.