New Delhi: State-run telecom major Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is set to upgrade all its 4G towers to 5G within the next six to eight months, Union Minister for Telecommunications Jyotiraditya Scindia announced.
Scindia highlighted that BSNL’s 92,500 4G towers, which went live on 27 September, were built entirely on an indigenously developed software and hardware stack, a major milestone for India’s self-reliance in telecom technology.
“When BSNL embarked on its 4G journey, it could have taken the easy route of importing equipment. Instead, it chose the tougher path, to innovate. In just 22 months, we developed our own core software and radio access network (RAN),” the minister said.
Celebrating BSNL’s 25th anniversary on 1 October, Scindia said the telecom PSU has made a strong financial turnaround, recording an operating profit of Rs 5,000 crore this fiscal, up from Rs 2,300 crore in the previous year. The company’s subscriber base has also grown from 8.7 crore to 9.1 crore, currently serving nearly 22 million customers across the country.
The minister further announced that the government is formulating a digital consumer charter to set ethical and operational guardrails for the use of artificial intelligence (AI). The framework will emphasise fairness, transparency, and inclusion in digital systems.
“India is poised to emerge among the world’s top five AI nations,” Scindia said, underscoring the country’s growing role as a hub for innovation and technological leadership. He added that India remains a beacon of stability and opportunity amid global uncertainty. “For those seeking prosperity in turbulent times, I urge them to look, move and invest in India,” he concluded.
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