Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) would upgrade its homegrown 4G network to 5G within six to eight months. Speaking on the occasion of Kautilya Economic Enclave 2025, he said India has joined the selected few countries with a homegrown 4G standard, which has been held by only five companies based in Sweden, Finland, South Korea, and China.
The minister mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's earlier launch of 92,564 towers connecting Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Bharuch to Arunachal Pradesh, marking India's entry into 4G technology. He termed the achievement proof of India's innovation capability and affirmed that such towers would soon offer end-to-end 5G services nationwide.
According to Scindia, India will upgrade its BSNL towers from 4G to 5G within 8 months, which will facilitate the digital infrastructure for the entire country. He emphasized that this transition would be implemented across the whole network, enabling faster connectivity and enhancing the manufacturing potential of mobile devices.
He also discussed economic challenges in his address, stating that trade protectionism, climate shocks, and geopolitical turbulence are adding pressure to global markets. Despite these challenges, India managed to register GDP growth of nearly 7.8% in the first quarter of FY 2025-26, positioning itself as one of the drivers for the Global South.
Scindia emphasized that India's innovation ecosystem is still growing, with associations with international technology firms and domestic startups in areas such as AI, semiconductors, and communications. He pointed out that India is now the second-largest manufacturer of mobile phones in the world, and is moving up the communication-AI-semicon value chain.
He added that these developments will be showcased at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025, where more than 7,000 delegates from 150 countries, 1,500 exhibitors, and over 1,000 use cases of 4G and 5G technologies will be on display. The event will also focus on innovations in the field of quantum computing and emerging technologies.
The minister concluded by urging international investors not only to view India as a place to invest, but also as a direction, an innovation and growth center, to reinforce its status as a global technology hub.