Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Bharat Sanchar Nigam’s ‘Swadeshi’ 4G stack on September 27, 2025, in a milestone that marks India’s entry among a coveted list of nations that manufacture telecom equipment.
The day marks BSNL’s silver jubilee anniversary, and PM Modi on the occassion, also commissioned more than 97,500 mobile 4G towers, including 92,600 4G technology sites of the telecom service provider, according to a PTI report.
‘Swadeshi’ technology means self-made or indigenous technology, and has gained push from the central government as a means to take Make in India to the next step and counter trade pressure from United States President Donald Trump’s hiked import tariffs.
Notably, these commissioned 97,500 mobile 4G towers have been built at a cost of around ₹37,000 crore with indigenous technology.
The India-made network is cloud-based, future-ready and can upgrade seamlessly to 5G, an official told PTI.
The launch marks India’s entry into a league of nations such as China, Denmark, South Korea, and Sweden, which manufacture homegrown telecom equipment.
“The rollout of the ‘swadeshi’ 4G network is a transformative step in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of a Digital India, bridging the digital divide and empowering rural communities, while paving the way for BSNL’s 5G upgrade and integration,” an official statement said.
Over 26,700 unconnected villages — including 2,472 in Odisha — situated in remote and border areas will receive connection with this launch. This will serve over 20 lakh new subscribers, the statement said.
These towers are solar-powered, making them India’s largest cluster of green telecom sites and a step forward in sustainable infrastructure.
This apart, the Modi also unveiled India’s 100 per cent 4G saturation network through digital Bharat Nidhi, where 29,000 to 30,000 villages are connected in a mission-mode project, the report added.