BSNL 4G towers to be upgraded to 5G in 6-8 months, says Telecom Minister Scindia

New Delhi: The indigenously developed 4G network of BSNL will be upgraded to 5G in the next six-eight months, Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Sunday.

While speaking at the Kautilya Economic Enclave 2025, the minister said that India has entered into the club of 4G technology, which was dominated by just five companies in the world — Huawei, ZTE, Samsung, Nokia and Ericsson — based out of four countries — Sweden, Finland, South Korea and China.

He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled 92,564 towers that connect Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Bharuch to Arunachal Pradesh in India with our own domestic 4G standard.

“Today, India has entered the club with its own 4G standard. This is India’s innovation capability and innovation enterprise. But we are not going to rest. Within the next six to eight months, we will be switching these 4G towers to 5G networks and providing end-to-end 5G network capability across the length and breadth of India,” Scindia said.

The minister said turbulence in geopolitical space has become a rhythm and reached its all-time high with conflicts and wars in every corner in the last five years, leading to protectionism that creates trade barriers.

Scindia said “climate shocks” are exposing economies to economic vulnerability and threat of inflation is affecting every household including those in developed nations.

“Therefore, it begs the question of us as human beings today, to ask ourselves, where does prosperity lie? That turbulence is not a disruptor. Turbulence is also a catalyst. In this context, India has acted as a catalyst, growing at close to 7.8 per cent GDP growth in the first quarter of FY25-26,” the minister said.

He said India has become a fulcrum for the Global South.

“I submit to you that in this age of uncertainty, which has become the norm, India is not just another destination, India is the direction. India is not only the voice. India is the mission. And for those who seek prosperity in turbulent times, I urge all of them to look, move and invest in India,” Scindia said.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the event, the minister said innovation is thriving in India where all the global majors are present in India in very large numbers.

“We also have innovation from domestic startups and entrepreneurs. We have got the second largest mobile phone manufacturing happening in India. India today is really pioneering this communication AI Semicon value chain in the world. You are going to see a huge resounding echo of that in the India Mobile Congress (IMC),” Scindia said.