In a historic development to prove the technological capability and the efforts put in by a country to be self-reliant, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched  Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) 100 per cent indigenous “Swadeshi” BSNL 4G network stack. This was a monumental milestone that places India in the list of a mere five countries in the world, including China, Denmark, Sweden, and South Korea, that have the entire end-to-end capability to design, develop, and bring into deployment a homegrown 4G mobile telecommunication infrastructure.

The introduction, which coincided with the commissioning of more than 97,500 new mobile 4G towers around the country, is a new step in digital inclusion. The Swadeshi 4G stack is a robust creation of a joint ecosystem of government and corporate organisations that were created all in India, a potent demonstration of the leadership of the Swadeshi vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat. This project not only promises the future communications infrastructure of India but also enables the nation to become a producer of high-standard, secure and affordable telecom infrastructure in the entire world.

The Indigenous Technological Blueprint: A Collaborative Triumph

The unprecedented integration of the best technology institutions and companies in India has led to the success of the Swadeshi 4G network. The integrated platform is called the Bharat Telecom Stack, which is based on three pillars:

Core Network: This is the complicated switching and managing layer, which was entirely developed by the Centre of Dialogue of Telematics (C-DOT). This Core Application is the head of the network and is an application that offers security, scalability and control of the voice and data services.

Radio Access Network (RAN): Tejas Networks was in charge of designing and producing the vital hardware and software of the base stations and radio units.

Systems Integration / Deployment: The enormous, mission-mode deployment to all operational locations has been coordinated and controlled by the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which is the lead member of the consortium. TCS used its latest Cognitive Network Operations (TCS CNOPS) platform, which guarantees the ability to manage the network in real time and 24/7, as well as leverages advanced data processing assurance to streamline service quality in the multi-vendor, multi-technology setting.

It is a fully cloud-native, software-defined architecture, not just a substitute for imported equipment, but a leapfrog technology that can be upgraded to 5G in a seamless, non-disruptive software upgrade in just a few months.

Joining the Elite Global Telecom Ranks

Until recently, end-to-end telecom equipment was supplied globally by companies based in a very few countries. Through a successful implementation of its own indigenous stack, India has already attained real Digital Sovereignty and ensured its critical communications backbone is resistant to vulnerabilities in the global supply chain.

Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia pointed to the historical importance: It is a day of great national pride. The fifth nation globally to have the capacity to design and manufacture its own core telecoms equipment is now India, a nation that is in the same league as telecom giants such as Denmark, Sweden, South Korea, and China. This action goes past technological progress, it is a national strategic move that enhances our economic and physical safety.

Being able to own the whole technology stack, including both silicon design and software code, enables India to design the network to exactly match its geographical and security needs, as well as to meet international 3GPP standards of interoperability. This enables the country to be a self-sufficient and secure technological supply chain in terms of external pressure and predisposes India as an authentic global provider in the currently fast-changing telecom equipment market.

Massive Scale and Transformative Impact on Rural India

The extent of such a deployment has never been witnessed. The Prime Minister ordered 97,500 additional mobile 4G towers to be established at a cost of which it is estimated that it cost 37,000 crores to be deployed, and connected the final mile. Amongst them, more than 92,600 locations are using the newly revealed indigenous technology.

One of the priorities of this rollout is the Digital Bharat Nidhi program, which specifically covers the installation of connectivity in over 26,700 villages that had no connectivity until now, located in remote areas, border areas, and sensitive areas. This growth is expected to yield more than 20 million new subscribers to the digital platform and close at last the rural-urban digital divide.

The accessibility of 4G internet in the regions will create a socio-economic development tsunami:

E-Governance: The provision of direct government services, pensions, and welfare schemes.

Telemedicine: Remote patients and specialist doctors can meet with video consultation, changing the access to healthcare.

Education: Transforming the rural schools by allowing students to take online courses and use digital educational materials.

Digital Payments: enabling small businesses and farmers to use UPI and real-time market information.

This massive implementation is a massive success of the Atmanirbhar Bharat program that proved that being self-reliant was equal to being globally competitive and equal to being helpful to the masses.

The Path to Global 6G Leadership

In the future, the native 4G stack is the stepping stone of the next generation of wireless communication in India. It has been specifically set to be 5G-compatible and contains a number of eco-friendly features, including the solar-powered towers, which form one of the largest networks of green telecommunication in the world.

The Communications Minister continued, saying that we were followers in 4G, we are part of the 5G developments, and we are determined to be the leaders of the 6G. We have already been laying the groundwork, and we are aiming to own 10 per cent of the global 6G patents by 2030. Such a Swadeshi 4G success confirms the research, engineering, and deployment paradigm of India, so such a goal in the future is fully achievable.

The swadeshi 4G network launch is not merely a commercial introduction, but a statement of Indian technical autonomy, digital connectivity and their rise as a worldwide player not only in the consumption of technology, but also in production and exports.

About BSNL
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is a state-owned telecommunications company and the largest fixed-line service provider and fourth-largest mobile telephony provider in India. BSNL is determined to close the digital divide and, as a result, it is situated at the centre of bridging rural and remote regions of the country.