Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: India marked a historic milestone last week with the launch of its first fully indigenous 4G (5G-ready) network and the commissioning of nearly 98,000 swadesi 4G towers, all powered by home-grown technology.
The core network, developed by C-DOT, with Tejas Networks’ Radio Access Network and integration by TCS, exemplifies a major technological breakthrough and the realisation of the Government’s commitment to Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
Previously dependent on foreign technology for telecom services like 2G, 3G, and 4G, India responded to the Covid-19 pandemic by building this fully indigenous 4G stack from scratch, demonstrating resilience, rapid innovation, and supply-chain independence.
This achievement places India among five nations capable of launching fully home-grown 4G services, reinforcing the swadesi spirit. BSNL’s cloud-native, 5G-ready 4G stack ensures immediate connectivity while enabling seamless upgrades, nurturing domestic talent, and strengthening supply chains.
What is 4G?
4G is the short name for fourth-generation wireless. With 4G download speeds, wireless users can stream high-definition video and audio. 4G also enables wireless broadband, which provides a way for users to get internet connectivity without the need for a fixed, wired connection from an internet service provider (ISP).
BSNL’s indigenous 4G services are expected to benefit tribal regions, remote villages, and hilly areas by providing access to quality digital services. This will enable children in rural areas to attend online classes, farmers in distant locations to check crop prices, and patients to consult doctors through telemedicine. The initiative will greatly support armed forces personnel by enhancing secure communication through improved connectivity.
Going beyond 4G
The successful deployment of indigenous 4G technology and expansion of 5G is accelerating digital connectivity and strengthening India’s telecom ecosystem for future advancements.
• 5G services were launched in the country on October 1, 2022.
• Within 8 months of launch, 2,00,000 sites covering 700 districts have been installed.
• 5G network rolled out in all 28 states and 8 UTs.
• One of the fastest 5G rollouts in the world.
Use cases of 5G
Agriculture: 5G will empower precision farming and smart agriculture with real-time data from IoT sensors, drones, and AI for enhanced productivity and resource management.
Healthcare: 5G enables telemedicine, remote diagnostics, and real-time health monitoring, improving healthcare access especially in rural areas.
Education: Enhanced virtual classrooms and immersive augmented / virtual reality (AR / VR) experiences will improve remote learning opportunities.
Manufacturing & Industry 4.0: 5G supports automation, robotics, and smart factories with ultra-reliable, low-latency communication for increased efficiency and safety.
Smart cities: It enables intelligent traffic management, energy-efficient infrastructure, public safety, and environmental monitoring through connected devices.
Automotive & transport: 5G facilitates connected and autonomous vehicles, real-time traffic updates, and safer road transport systems.
Entertainment & media: Enhanced high-definition streaming, immersive gaming, and interactive media experiences will be possible.
Stepping stone to 6G
On March 23, 2023, India’s 6G vision “Bharat 6G Vision” document was released, which envisages India to be a frontline contributor in design, development and deployment of 6G technology by 2030.
Bharat 6G Vision is based on principles of affordability, sustainability and ubiquity (universality). The Department of Telecom has facilitated setting up of ‘Bharat 6G Alliance’ which is an alliance of domestic industry, academia, national research institutions and standards organisations to develop action plan according to the Bharat 6G Vision.
GSMA Mobile Internet Connectivity Index
As per the State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2025 report (Network Coverage and Infrastructure), the majority of global network investment continues to be in deployments of 5G, which has now reached more than half the world’s population (54 per cent or 4.4 billion people), with more than 700 million additional people covered in 2024.
More than half of that growth was driven by India, which has achieved just over 80 per cent population coverage for 5G.
During 2024, monthly 5G traffic in the country increased threefold and now accounts for 36 per cent of India’s total mobile traffic, compared to 15 per cent in 2023.
Strategic autonomy and digital sovereignty: The fully indigenous 4G stack empowers India to control its telecom infrastructure, reducing reliance on foreign technologies and enhancing national security.
Employment generation and supply-chain development: Localised manufacturing and deployment are creating employment, strengthening supplier ecosystems, and nurturing a skilled domestic workforce capable of designing, testing, and maintaining advanced telecom systems.
Catering to domestic demand with global potential: The fully indigenous 4G stack is not only meeting India’s internal requirements but is also designed with export potential, with several countries having already expressed interest.
Rapid development through indigenous capability: The entire 4G architecture was indigenously built in just 22 months, a pace significantly faster than comparable nations.
Expanding scale and reach: More than 92,000 4G sites have been commissioned across the country, connecting over 22 million citizens. For two million users, this marks their first entry into the digital era. The network is managing nearly four petabytes of data traffic every day with efficiency and security.
Financial turnaround and citizen trust: Confidence in home-grown technology has enabled BSNL to record consecutive profitable quarters after 17 years of financial strain. This turnaround underlines the trust citizens place in institutions aligned with the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.