Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], September 27 : On the inauguration of the indigenous BSNL 4G network in the country, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Saturday applauded the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that it was a step forward for India towards a 'new' and 'self-reliant nation.'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited's (BSNL) 'Swadeshi' 4G network from Jharsuguda in Odisha. The launch coincided with BSNL's silver jubilee celebrations.
Rajathan Chief Minister was among the eight chief ministers and several Union Ministers who joined the innaguration via videoconfereninc.
Speaking at the Jaipur Exhibition and Convention Centre in Jaipur's Sitapura, the Rajasthan Chief Minister said, "Today, we celebrate 25 years of BSNL. Thanks to the efforts of PM Modi, 92,633 4G towers are being inaugurated across India. I want to congratulate PM Modi for this achievement. Of these, 5,655 towers have been installed in Rajasthan. This isn't just a number; it's a step forward for India towards a new and self-reliant nation..."
"BSNL's entire 4G network is indigenous, developed by institutions and companies within our country. Today, India joins the five countries that have developed completely indigenous 4G technology. Its technology is so advanced that 4G towers can now be upgraded to 5G via software..." Chief minster Sharma said
The projects have been launched under the Digital Bharat Nidhi scheme.
BSNL is entrusted with ambitious projects of the Government to provide coverage to uncovered villages in the country, including rural and underserved areas, such as 4G Saturation Scheme.
A day earlier, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that the 4G stack would be deployed across nearly 98,000 sites nationwide, covering every part of the country.
"Our 4G towers and BTSs are already serving 22 million customers across India It's fully software-driven, cloud-based, and future-ready. Most importantly, it will upgrade seamlessly to 5G," he said.
He stressed that the government's focus is not only on connectivity but also on developing India's telecom manufacturing ecosystem.
Highlighting the progress, Scindia said that global firms are now partnering with Indian manufacturers.
"The world today is getting into serious manufacturing in India. Cisco has tie-ups with Flex, Ericsson, and VVDN in Jabil, and Dixon is expanding here. Slowly, India is emerging as a hub for telecom equipment manufacturing. We are not just a services bouquet, but also an equipment manufacturing bouquet," he added.
The public sector telecom operator is rolling out 4G services pan-India using indigenously developed C-DoT core technology, integrated with TCS/Tejas networks, and engineered for future 5G upgrades under the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiative.
Prime Minister Modi formally launch the nationwide 4G rollout from Jharsuguda inaugurating 92,633 sites, including over 14,000 under the 4G saturation project.