India has officially unveiled its first indigenously developed 4G technology stack, a landmark initiative led by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) in partnership with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the Center for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), and Tejas Networks.
The cloud-based Bharat Telecom Stack was spearheaded by TCS, integrating C-DOT’s EPC core network with Tejas’s radio infrastructure across 100,000 sites. TCS also provided data centres and its Cognitive Network Operations (TCS CNOPS) platform for 24/7 real-time network management. The project, completed in just two years, is fully compliant with 3GPP standards and integrated into BSNL’s existing 2G/3G infrastructure.
The stack has already been deployed in 97,500 4G towers installed by BSNL, Reliance Jio, and Bharti Airtel, bringing connectivity to 26,700 previously unserved villages and enabling 22 million people to access affordable 4G. All towers are upgradable to 5G, strengthening India’s long-term digital ambitions.
The launch marks a major milestone for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of self-reliance in technology, positioning India as the fifth country globally—after Finland, Sweden, South Korea, and China—to build its own indigenous telecom technology stack.
N Ganapathy Subramaniam, advisor for telecom strategic initiatives at TCS and chairman of Tejas Networks, hailed the achievement as putting India on the global telecom map. BSNL CMD Robert J Ravi emphasized that the “Made in Bharat” stack will secure India’s digital future and bridge the digital divide.
The rollout also means BSNL can finally launch nationwide 4G services, following its soft launch in Delhi last month through a 4G-as-a-service model.
