India enters coveted club of nations manufacturing telecom equipment: Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia

Guwahati: Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said with the launch of BSNL's indigenous 4G stack on Saturday, India has become the fifth country in the world to manufacture telecom equipment.

He said India's image has transformed from being a services and consumer nation to a hub of production, innovation, entrepreneurship and exports.

Speaking at a programme here to mark the simultaneous launch of Swadeshi 4G stack across the country by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Odisha, Scindia said, "Earlier, India was a service nation, but now we are a producer nation. Earlier, we were seen as a consumer nation, but today, we are an innovation, entrepreneurship and exports centre."

He said guided by Modi's vision of ‘innovate for India, innovate for humanity,' the country has today entered the coveted league of nations such as Denmark, Sweden, China and South Korea, which manufacture telecom equipment on their own.

Scindia said the 4G service will be upgraded to 5G in a few years, while ensuring that the peripheries, as well as terrains difficult to connect so far, are being covered with special thrust.

Left-wing extremist-hit zones, border areas, islands, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and other hilly and remote areas are being connected to ensure hundred per cent saturation, he added.

"From today, Assam’s last village will be connected with the rest of the world. Our ‘first village’ in Arunachal Pradesh will be connected to the world market. Farmers will be directly linked with markets, and patients with doctors. Telecom connectivity is a ‘jeevan setu’ (life bridge),” the Union minister said.

"India will lead the world in 5G network connectivity," he asserted.

Scindia maintained that the country had witnessed a massive transformation over the last decade and strengthened its position among the leading developing countries.

Be it producing vaccines during COVID pandemic or becoming a leader in UPI transactions, India has turned challenges into opportunities, he said.

The Swadeshi 4G stack is a celebration in this line of achievement and proves that ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ is a reality, the minister added.