Best time to invest, innovate and make in India, says PM Modi at IMC 2025

At India Mobile Congress 2025, PM says India's 5G reach and indigenous 4G stack show the country's progress from telecom dependence to technological leadership

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hailed the country’s digital advances across multiple sectors, and said it was the “best time to invest, innovate and make in India”.

 

Speaking at the inaugural session of the India Mobile Congress 2025, Modi said the nation’s mindset was firmly “focused on expanding industry and investment”.

 

“You remember, when I talked about Make in India, how some people used to make fun of it. People living in doubt used to say, how will India make technologically advanced things? The country gave a befitting reply. The country which once struggled with 2G… today 5G has reached almost every district of the same country,” Modi said.

 

Highlighting India’s achievement in creating an indigenous 4G stack in record time, he added that the technology would not only enable seamless connectivity but also provide fast internet and reliable services to the public. The indigenous 4G stack, jointly developed by the Centre for Development of Telematics, Tata Consultancy Services, and Tejas Networks, powers the 4G network of state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). On September 27, BSNL rolled out its pan-Indian network across more than 92,000 sites simultaneously. 

 

India is among only five nations capable of launching fully homegrown 4G services. The new BSNL network is designed to transition seamlessly to 5G over the next six to eight months, Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had earlier said. To facilitate this, BSNL plans to add up to 40,000 towers during the same period, according to senior officials from the Department of Telecommunications.

 

During his address, the prime minister noted that beyond serving BSNL, the 4G stack was also export-ready and could become a medium for India’s business outreach. “Whether it’s developing and scaling indigenous technologies, creating intellectual property through R&D (research and development), or contributing to the development of global standards, India is progressing in every dimension. It is the result of these efforts that today India has emerged as an effective platform,” he said.

 

With advancements in digital ecosystems, Modi emphasised India’s focus on robust cybersecurity measures to protect users from fraud. The country has tightened laws on cybercrime while increasing accountability to ensure offenders are punished.

 

The entire world is recognising India's potential, Modi said.

 

“We have the second-largest telecom market in the world. The second-largest 5G market is here. And along with the market, we also have manpower, mobility and mindset. And when it comes to manpower, India has both scale and skill together,” he added.