Article – BSNL Stops Internet Import, North-East Becomes Self-Reliant

The report of “BSNL Stops Internet Import | North-East Becomes Self-Reliant” highlights a major milestone in India’s digital infrastructure, specifically for the North-Eastern region.

Here are the full details based on the available information:

1. The Key Development

  • End of Bandwidth Import: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), India’s state-owned telecom operator, has officially stopped importing internet bandwidth from Bangladesh for its services in the North-Eastern states.
  • Date: The discontinuation of the imported link was confirmed to have taken effect on or around October 21, 2025.
  • The Imported Link: The bandwidth was previously imported via a terrestrial optical fiber link through the Akhaura port (connecting to Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Ltd, which links to its Cox’s Bazar submarine cable landing station). This link had been crucial for states like Tripura, which were geographically closer to Bangladesh’s internet gateways than India’s major digital hubs.

2. North-East’s New Connectivity Backbone (Self-Reliance)

The region is now powered entirely by domestic infrastructure, fulfilling the goal of digital self-reliance under the “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” initiative. This shift is enabled by:

  • Domestic Fiber Optic Networks: BSNL has significantly expanded and integrated the North-Eastern states into India’s national fiber-optic backbone, including major upgrades to the BharatNet project. This ensures better routing and redundancy within India’s own network.
  • Satellite Technologies: Enhanced integration with ISRO’s high-throughput satellite networks provides an important backup and connectivity to remote and hard-to-reach areas where laying fiber is challenging.
  • Indigenous 4G Rollout: A key part of the broader self-reliance push is the nationwide rollout of BSNL’s fully indigenous 4G mobile network.
    • This network uses a “Swadeshi” (homegrown) 4G stack, developed by Indian companies and institutions like Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), C-DOT, and Tejas Networks.
    • The indigenous 4G deployment is rapidly expanding in the North-East, including new tower installations in states like Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura, which directly contributes to enhanced domestic connectivity.

3. Impact and Significance

  • Digital Self-Reliance (Atmanirbhar Bharat): The move significantly reduces India’s dependency on external bandwidth sources for a strategically important border region, enhancing the resilience and control of the digital infrastructure.
  • Improved Quality of Service: Routing traffic through the domestic fiber and satellite network is expected to provide improved latency, greater bandwidth redundancy, and enhanced security for the northeastern states.
  • Strategic Integration: The North-Eastern states, once often digitally isolated due to geographical challenges, are now fully integrated into India’s domestic digital ecosystem.
  • BSNL’s Comeback: This milestone is part of BSNL’s larger transformation, which is being driven by government funding and the deployment of indigenous technology to compete with private telecom firms and bridge the digital divide in rural and remote areas.

Chandan Singh

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