Indian Army inducts first indigenous chip-based 4G base station

Tags: National News

The Indian Army has inducted its first-ever indigenous chip-based 4G mobile base station.

An Overview of the News

• Procured from Bangalore-based firm Signaltron through the government e-marketplace portal.

Signaltron and Signalchip:

• Signaltron was founded by Himamshu Khasnis.

• The chip used in the Sahyadri LTE base stations was developed by Signalchip, a fabless semiconductor company founded in 2010.

Significance:

• The Sahyadri LTE base stations use India's first chips for 4G and 5G networks.

• This is the first Indian system running on an Indian chip for complex communication technology inducted into the army.

• Using indigenous chips enhances system security.

Procurement Details:

• The Indian Army posted a bid on GeM for 4G LTE NIB (Network In a Box) solutions.

• Signaltron's Sahyadri NIB solution passed stringent technical trials and won the competitive bid.

Features of Sahyadri NIB:

• Weighs just 7 kgs.

• Provides high-quality secure wireless communication for audio, video, and data applications.

• Capable of working in both standalone and cellular modes.

• Seamless inter-operation with legacy analogue and IP telephony systems.

Current Market Landscape:

• Most base stations deployed in India are not made in India and do not use indigenous chips.

• Indigenous chips are crucial for the strategic security of modern electronic devices and equipment.

Deployment and Production:

• Signaltron has supplied 20 units to the Indian Army.

• The deployment of these base stations depends on the Army's strategic requirements.

• The units are light and mobile, allowing flexible deployment locations.

Industry Context:

• India currently lacks a fabrication facility for modern semiconductor chips.

• Signalchip designs and owns the technology, with chips fabricated through third-party wafer fabs.

• The Indian base station market is expected to be about USD 24 billion by 2029.

• Indigenous systems can lead to significant forex savings and GDP boost.

Market Potential:

• The CNPN (Captive Network-Private Network) 4G/5G market worldwide is expected to exceed USD 30 billion by 2030.

• Local chip-based base stations will enable economies of scale and large market possibilities.