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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, October 8, highlighted BSNL’s newly unveiled 4G stack as a major milestone that could deliver seamless connectivity to Indians in remote areas who had been left behind in the digital revolution.
During his inaugural speech at the 9th edition of the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 at the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre in New Delhi, PM Modi said, “When we launched the made-in-India 4G stack a few days ago, one lakh mobile towers were also made active. As a result, 1.2 crore people will now be part of Digital India.”
“Our indigenous 4G stack is also export-ready,” he added.
Unveiled last week, the homegrown stack comprises indigenous 4G technology deployed by BSNL. It combines a Radio Access Network (RAN) built by Tejas Networks, a core network developed by C-DOT, and integration by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). With the launch, India becomes part of an exclusive group of five nations (Denmark, Sweden, South Korea, and China) who are capable of manufacturing and deploying their own telecom equipment to deliver 4G services.
The production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for telecom equipment manufacturing was notified by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in 2021 with an outlay of Rs 12,195 crore. Since then, beneficiaries under the scheme have reportedly invested Rs 4,081 crore, with total sales of Rs 78,672 crore, including export sales worth Rs 14,963 crore, as per a recent official statement.
Recalling how he had first laid out the vision of a digital-first India over a decade ago, Modi said, “When I first spoke about Make in India, some people poked fun, saying ‘How will India make new and advanced tech?’. But India gave a strong response.”
“The country which struggled with 2G, has now rolled out 5G to every district. Our electronics manufacturing has seen six-fold growth and mobile phone manufacturing has risen 28 times. Our tech exports have also grown 127 times since 2014,” he said. On employment, Modi said that 45 Indian companies are now part of a single global company’s supply chain, generating lakhs of jobs, with potential for further employment growth when indirect job creation is factored in.
At the policy level, Modi said that under new laws such as the Telecom Act, regulators will serve as facilitators to issue faster approvals, right-of-way permissions, clearances for fibre optics and mobile towers, etc. Cybersecurity is also being prioritised with the passage of new laws for accountability as well as improvements to the grievance redressal mechanism, the prime minister said.
“India’s democratic setup and ease of doing business policies make it investor friendly,” he added.
Stating that this is the best time for investors to invest, innovate, and make in India, Modi pointed out that 1GB of data now costs less than the price of one cup of chai (tea). “Digital connectivity is no longer a luxury but an integral part of people’s lives,” he said.
“In electronics manufacturing, global companies are looking for trusted partners. Telecom design and equipment also need trusted partners. Why can’t Indian companies be those trusted partners?” he said.
Imports of Indian-made smartphones have increased 182 per cent y-o-y to $9.35 billion, already higher than around $7 billion in the whole of 2024. US smartphone imports from India jumped by over three times year-on-year to 21.3 million units between January and May this year, according to data from the US International Trade Commission (USITC).
However, US President Donald Trump has previously threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Indian-made iPhones. Currently, the US administration has temporarily exempted phones, computers, and other electronic products from the ‘secondary tariff’ that went into effect on August 27, 2025.
In his speech on Wednesday, Modi also mentioned that India is working on setting up 10 semiconductor plants, including two fabrication facilities and eight packaging and testing facilities, as part of the first phase of the India Semiconductor Mission, which was launched in 2021 with a financial outlay of Rs 76,000 crore.
At Semicon India 2025 held earlier this year, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw presented PM Modi with the first-ever ‘Made-in-India’ Vikram 32-bit Launch Vehicle Grade chip jointly developed by ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and SCL Chandigarh.
The India Mobile Congress is organised by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) over four days, that is, from October 8 to 11. It is said to be the largest tech expo in Asia with an estimated 1.5 lakh participants from more than 150 countries, including delegates from domains such as 5G and 6G networks, artificial intelligence, electronics manufacturing, cybersecurity, semiconductors, quantum computing, and more.
The IMC 2025 inauguration also saw participation from Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of State for Communications Dr Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, Jio Infocomm Limited chairman Akash Ambani, Bharti Enterprises chairman Sunil Mittal, and several others.
