The Indian Army has inducted its first-ever indigenous chip-based 4G mobile base station, procured from Bangalore-based firm Signaltron via the government e-marketplace portal. Signaltron’s founder, Himamshu Khasnis, informed that the chip used in the Sahyadri LTE base stations was developed by Signalchip.
Founded in 2010, Signalchip is a fabless semiconductor company dedicated to developing chips for 4G and 5G networks. “Signaltron has built the entire system indigenously using India’s first chips for 4G and 5G networks developed by Signalchip. This marks the first time an Indian system running on an Indian chip for complex communication technology has been inducted into the army. Using indigenous chips provides a high degree of control over the system’s security during operation,” Khasnis stated.
The Indian Army placed a bid on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) for a 4G LTE Network In a Box (NIB) solution last year. “Signaltron proposed the Sahyadri NIB solution, which passed stringent technical trials, leading to Signaltron winning the competitive bid. Weighing just 7 kg, the Sahyadri NIB systems offer high-quality secure wireless communication for audio, video, and data applications,” Khasnis added.
The Sahyadri NIB can operate in both standalone and cellular modes and can seamlessly interoperate with legacy analogue and IP telephony systems. Most base stations deployed in India are not manufactured domestically, and even those made in India typically lack indigenous chips, which are the most strategic and crucial components of modern electronic devices and equipment.
Signaltron has provided 20 units to the military, with deployment depending on strategic needs. “We have supplied 20 units to the army. The Army decides when and where to deploy the base stations. Since they are light and mobile, it gives them the flexibility to change locations as needed,” Khasnis explained.
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Currently, India lacks a fabrication facility for modern semiconductor chips. Signalchip has designed the chip in-house and owns the entire technology delivered by the chips. Following a model similar to leading semiconductor companies such as Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Mediatek, Signalchip outsources the fabrication of its chips to third-party wafer fabs.
Khasnis highlighted that the Indian base station market is projected to reach approximately USD 24 billion by 2029. “Using indigenous systems could lead to significant foreign exchange savings and boost GDP. There are substantial market volumes available in India and worldwide. Modernization targets in sectors like defense and railways present excellent opportunities for indigenous solutions,” he said.
He also noted that the global Captive Network-Private Network (CNPN) 4G/5G market is projected to surpass USD 30 billion by 2030, creating significant opportunities for locally produced chip-based base stations and achieving economies of scale.
