Guwahati: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) will set up a large-scale data centre in Guwahati as part of its nationwide digital expansion, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on 28 September.
The project was revealed during the inauguration of India’s first fully indigenous 4G mobile network by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a central event in Jharsuguda, Odisha. Sarma joined the launch virtually from Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati, along with Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
The Chief Minister said BSNL plans to establish data centres at five strategic locations across India, with Guwahati chosen to anchor the Northeast. Construction has already begun at the state’s IT Park near Borjhar Airport. “These facilities will create substantial local employment, enabling Assam’s educated youth to work within the state instead of moving to cities like Bengaluru,” Sarma noted.
He added that the Guwahati centre will support BSNL’s indigenous 4G network, which is being rolled out nationwide using equipment and infrastructure built entirely in India. The state-run telecom operator also intends to upgrade the network to 5G in the near future and aims for 6G by 2030.
Sarma highlighted that BSNL’s initiative coincides with its silver jubilee and reflects the Prime Minister’s vision of a self-reliant digital ecosystem. He credited the Department of Telecommunications, BSNL and the Tata Group for indigenising mobile towers, optical fibre and related components.
The Chief Minister also linked the project to Assam’s broader technology push, pointing to the new 5G lab at Gauhati University and the Tata Group’s semiconductor plant at Jagiroad. “From data centres to chip manufacturing, Assam is emerging as a nerve centre of India’s technology growth,” Sarma said, calling the Guwahati facility a key driver of future digital services and employment in the region.