India’s ‘swadeshi’ 4G push: PM Modi launches BSNL’s indigenous services – Here’s all you need to know

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated development projects worth over Rs 60,000 crore in Odisha, spanning telecom, railways, healthcare, higher education, and skill development. In a landmark for India’s telecom sector, PM Modi launched BSNL’s indigenous 4G ‘Swadeshi network stack’, placing the country among a select group—including Denmark, Sweden, South Korea, and China, that have developed homegrown telecom technology.PM Modi underlined that Odisha is “advancing at the speed of a double engine,” with development accelerating both for the state and for India’s growth.“Today, we are seeing that Odisha has started advancing at the speed of a double engine. Today, once again, for the development of Odisha, for the development of the country, work on projects worth thousands of crores of rupees has begun. From today, a new avatar of BSNL has also emerged. BSNL’s indigenous 4G services have been launched,” PM Modi said.97,500 indigenous 4G towersCommissioning more than 97,500 4G mobile towers built at a cost of Rs 37,000 crore, PM Modi marked the launch of BSNL’s indigenous 4G services, including 92,600 new BSNL sites. Over 18,900 towers funded under the Digital Bharat Nidhi will connect 26,700 unserved villages, many in remote and border areas. The solar-powered towers form India’s largest cluster of green telecom sites, ANI reported.Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the country’s fully indigenous 4G stack and over 97,500 BSNL towers from Jharsuguda. These towers are spread across Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Assam, Gujarat, and Bihar.PM unveils several other development projectsThe Prime Minister also announced that the Centre has approved two semiconductor units for Odisha, further boosting local industry. He was joined by Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi and Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati at the event.In railways, PM Modi laid foundation stones for projects like the Sambalpur-Sarla rail flyover and doubling of the Koraput-Baiguda and Manabar-Koraput-Gorapur lines, alongside flagging off the Amrit Bharat Express between Berhampur and Udhna (Surat) to improve affordable connectivity and boost tourism.Healthcare projects include upgrading MKCG Medical College (Berhampur) and VIMSAR (Sambalpur) into super-specialty hospitals with expanded trauma care, maternal and child health facilities, and new dental colleges.He further announced the expansion of eight IITs, creating capacity for 10,000 new students in the next four years, along with skill development initiatives tailored to Odisha’s youth.Reiterating his government’s vision of self-reliance, PM Modi highlighted a recent Rs 70,000 crore shipbuilding package, calling it critical for national security and economic strength.“It is our resolve that from chip to ship, India must be self-reliant in everything. Any country that wants to be economically strong gives great importance to shipbuilding. Whether it is trade, technology, or national security, shipbuilding provides benefits in every field. Any country that wants to be economically strong gives a lot of emphasis on large-scale shipbuilding. Whether it’s trade, technology, or the country’s security, shipbuilding benefits everywhere. If we have our own ships, there will be no hindrance in imports and exports with the world during times of crisis,” he noted.