iWorld
BSNL dials up pride with India’s first homegrown 4G telecom stack
MUMBAI: India has just made a call that will echo worldwide and it’s a truly Swadeshi one. BSNL, in collaboration with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), C-DOT, and Tejas Networks, has unveiled the Bharat Telecom Stack, a fully indigenous solution powering 4G and beyond, marking a historic stride towards a digitally self-reliant nation.
With this rollout, India joins an elite club of just five countries globally to have built a homegrown telecom technology stack. What makes it remarkable is the scale and speed the entire project, spanning 100,000 sites, was completed in just two years, making it one of the fastest 4G deployments worldwide.
Executed under a “mission mode” governance model, the project saw TCS establish data centres, integrate C-DOT’s EPC Core Application, and deploy Tejas Networks’ base stations and radio infrastructure, all stitched together with TCS CNOPS, a cognitive platform for 24/7 real-time network management. The rollout integrates seamlessly into BSNL’s existing 2G/3G systems, ensuring connectivity continuity while boosting capacity for the digital era.
For BSNL CMD A Robert J Ravi, the launch was more than technology, it was symbolism: “The nationwide rollout of our indigenous 4G network, built with TCS, Tejas, and C-DOT, is a resounding declaration of an Atmanirbhar Bharat. This ‘Made in Bharat’ stack secures our digital future and bridges the divide like never before.”
The technology isn’t just about speed or spectrum; it’s about sovereignty. By delivering ultra-secure, standards-compliant connectivity, the stack safeguards national security while democratising access enabling online education, telemedicine, e-governance, and citizen services for rural and urban India alike.
BSNL’s director (Consumer Mobility) Sandeep Govil highlighted its transformative potential: “This Swadeshi 4G technology, the result of innovation by C-DOT, Tejas, TCS, and BSNL’s workforce, is engineered for scalability. It is a cornerstone for a digitally inclusive society, ready to evolve to 5G and beyond.”
For TCS and Tejas Networks chairman N Ganapathy Subramaniam, the achievement reinforces India’s tech legacy: “We have put India on the map of only a handful of countries with a comprehensive, trusted, and software-upgradable telecom technology stack. The successful deployment at BSNL is historic, laying the foundation for India’s further contribution to global standards.”
The launch also reflects TCS’s longstanding role in shaping India’s digital infrastructure from modernising stock exchanges and passport services to healthcare and pensions for defence personnel touching millions of lives across decades.
With ultra-high bandwidth, energy efficiency (0.1 W/Gbit, 65 per cent lower than average), and intelligence boosting O&M efficiency by 40 per cent, the Bharat Telecom Stack is more than a national achievement. It is a signal loud and clear that India is ready to lead in telecom innovation, connecting every citizen while setting global benchmarks.
In short: India just built its own dial tone for the future and it’s calling the world to listen.
iWorld
Micro-Dramas Surge in India, Redefining Mobile Content Habits
Meta-Ormax study maps rapid rise of short-form storytelling among 18–44 audiences.
MUMBAI: Micro-dramas aren’t just short, they’re the snack that ate Indian entertainment, and now everyone’s bingeing between the sofa cushions. Meta, in partnership with Ormax Media, has released ‘Micro Dramas: The India Story’, a comprehensive study unveiled at the inaugural Meta Marketing Summit: Micro-Drama Edition. The report maps how the vertical, bite-sized format is reshaping content consumption for mobile-first audiences aged 18–44 across 14 states.
Conducted between November 2025 and January 2026 through 50 in-depth interviews and 2,000 personal surveys, the research reveals that 65 per cent of viewers discovered micro-dramas within the last year proof of explosive adoption. Nearly 89 per cent encounter the format through social feeds and recommendations, making algorithm-driven discovery the primary engine rather than active search.
Key viewing patterns show a median of 3.5 hours per week (about 30 minutes daily) spread across 7–8 short sessions. Consumption peaks between 8 pm and midnight, with additional spikes during commutes and work breaks classic “in-between moments” that the format fills perfectly. Around 57 per cent of viewing happens in ambient mode (while doing something else), and 90 per cent is solo, enabling more intimate, personal storytelling.
Romance, family drama and comedy lead genre preferences. Audiences show growing openness to AI-generated content, 47 per cent find it unique and creative, while only 6 per cent say they would avoid it entirely. Regional languages are surging after Hindi and English, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada dominate consumption.
Meta, director, media & entertainment (India) Shweta Bajpai said, “Micro-drama isn’t a passing trend, it’s rewriting the rules of Indian entertainment. In under a year, an entirely new category of platforms has emerged, built audience habits from scratch, and created a business vertical that is scaling fast.”
Ormax Media founder-CEO Shailesh Kapoor added, “Micro-dramas are beginning to show the early signs of becoming a distinct content category in India’s digital entertainment landscape. When a format aligns closely with how audiences naturally engage with their devices, it has the potential to scale very quickly.”
The study proposes ecosystem-wide responsibility, universal signposting of commercial intent, shared accountability among advertisers, platforms, creators, schools and parents, built-in safeguards, and formal media literacy in schools.
In a feed that never sleeps and a day that never stops, micro-dramas have slipped into the cracks of every spare minute turning 30-second stories into the new national pastime, one vertical swipe at a time.
