Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Minister of Communications and Development of North Eastern Region
Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Minister of Communications and Development of North Eastern Region, delivered the inaugural address at the third International Quantum Communication Conclave organised by the Telecommunication Engineering Centre in collaboration with the Centre for Development of Telematics in April 2025, and at the Bharat Telecom 2025 conference organised by the Telecom Equipment and Services Export Promotion Council in May 2025, in New Delhi. During his addresses, he shared his thoughts on India’s rapid digital growth and inclusion, the road map for 6G leadership and the revolutionary impact of quantum technology. Edited excerpts…
India is setting the rhythm for global digital transformation, aiming to be the digital exchange capital of the world by bringing this reality to over 1.4 billion citizens (16 per cent of the global population) across the country. Driving this transformation is a silent but mighty force: telecom, the infrastructure of infrastructures, which is highly comparable to the railways and highways built in the US during the industrial revolution. Today, this infrastructure is the seamless, invisible digital highway, weaving together 650,000 villages and 1.4 billion citizens into tomorrow’s economy.
As India celebrates 95 per cent of its villages being connected by 4G, with a strong emphasis on inclusivity, a $4 billion investment plan is under way to achieve 100 per cent saturation. Of the 36,000 targeted villages and 27,000 towers, 17,000 towers have already been set up in just 11 months since June 2024, and the day is not far when every single village will be connected.
India’s 5G roll-out has been exceptional and monumental. We followed the world in 4G, walked with the world on 5G, and India is set to lead the world in 6G. In just 22 months, 99 per cent of villages have been connected with 5G, 82 per cent of the population has been covered, 470,000 towers have been erected, and investments of nearly Rs 4 trillion ($50 billion) have been made by telcos.
India’s burgeoning digital economy
India’s digital economy is at a historic turning point, growing at 7 per cent of GDP annually. The economy, currently at approximately $4 trillion, is projected to reach $5 trillion by 2028 and $6 trillion by 2031. This growth is being powered by our digital lens – the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Today, India handles 46 per cent of the world’s digital transactions, about 1.9 billion annually, amounting to $3 trillion. Moreover, data consumption has surged, with average monthly usage reaching 27.5 GB per user in 2024, growing at a CAGR of 19.5 per cent over five years. Furthermore, 5G fixed wireless access is rising, with urban homes and businesses consuming 12 times more data than average mobile users. Currently, 43 per cent of all broadband traffic in the metros is on 5G, with 271 million 5G handsets already in use, and 90 per cent of all phones sold in India by the year end expected to be 5G-enabled.
India has emerged as the world’s second-largest telecom market and cheapest data market. Mobile users have grown to 1.2 billion, broadband users have increased from 60 million to 950 million in a decade, and internet users have increased from 250 million to 974 million. With deep connectivity penetration, falling tariffs and massive value addition, India’s data costs just 11 cents per GB, while the global average is $2.11. Thus, India is not merely participating in the digital revolution, it is leading, shaping and inspiring it for the world to follow.
Success in telecom equipment
India’s rise has also been driven by the growth of the telecom equipment market. A decade ago, we only produced 50 million phones in our country, but today, we produce 350 million. Apple has decided to produce all its mobile phones in India in the coming years. The telecom equipment market has grown manyfold, with mobile phone sales alone worth Rs 2 trillion ($24 billion) in the previous fiscal year. The telecom equipment export market has grown from Rs 85 million to Rs 200 billion ($3 billion). This growth has been supported by the production-linked incentive scheme. An investment of Rs 40 billion under the scheme has led to Rs 800 billion ($10 billion) in sales, Rs 160 billion ($2 billion) in exports and the creation of 25,000 jobs. However, scale alone does not define us; it is the country’s ability to back its promise with action that sets it apart.
India’s story is unique because our design, manufacturing, intellectual property, hardware and software – the very soul of our telecom products – are now crafted in India. While other countries offer markets and manpower, India offers markets, manpower, innovation and a robust technology ecosystem. Investing in India is not just an act of goodwill, it makes economic sense for every original equipment manufacturer player. When you invest in India, you are choosing affordability, reliability, originality and a spirit of innovation that is redefining global benchmarks.
India offers “policies, purpose, and people”, a 3P strategy, to the world. As we move into a future of limitless innovation, India is not just producing products for the world but designing, developing and delivering them from India. This aligns with the government’s vision: Make in India, but make for the world. This is the cornerstone of our policy, fostering a vibrant confluence of ideas, ambition and opportunity.
Innovation is India’s hallmark. While other countries have given up on creating a domestic 4G stack, India has become the fifth country to do so after China, Korea, Sweden and Finland. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited is deploying this stack across 100,000 sites (core and RAM). India now has a robust technology platform that we aim to export globally. We have set up 150 labs and are further committed to pioneering 10 per cent of the patents for 6G through the 3rd Generation Partnership Project and the International Telecommunication Union. India has moved from being a producer to being an innovator.
Quantum technology
Quantum computing represents more than just progress – it is a giant transformative leap. It will drive innovation, speed up scientific breakthroughs and offer multiple solutions to human challenges long considered insurmountable. The future now is no longer just digital. The future is quantum.
Unlike classical computers that rely on binary bits (0s and 1s), quantum computers harness the principles of quantum mechanics. At the core of this technology are qubits. Qubits can exist in multiple states at the same time because of the phenomenon known as superposition. They have the ability to explore countless opportunities and problems in split seconds. Quantum systems also harness another remarkable phenomenon: entanglement. In addition to superposition, entanglement is an intriguing concept where the state of one qubit can instantly affect another, regardless of distance. This capability allows machines to handle highly complex, interconnected problems, far beyond the reach of traditional computers. When superposition and entanglement work together, they fundamentally change the approach to problem-solving: quantum computers operate faster and can solve problems that were once thought impossible.
The ripple effects of quantum computing are already emerging, impacting not only scientific discovery, but also beginning to touch ordinary lives. For example, it typically takes decades to develop a life-saving medicine, with years of trial and error to meet regulatory standards. But with quantum computing, precise molecular interactions can be stimulated, making the discovery of new drugs possible within just a few hours. This not only reduces time and cost, but also significantly improves accuracy.
Furthermore, the quantum frontier is one of nine national missions launched by the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council. The government launched the National Quantum Mission in April 2023, backed by a substantial Rs 60 billion financial outlay. The mission aims to seed and scale up research and development in quantum technologies while fostering a vibrant and innovative ecosystem across academia, industry and start-ups. India has made major commitments under this mission: to develop quantum computers with 1,000 qubits, to establish secure quantum communication networks spanning over 2,000 km, and to build a robust research-to-market ecosystem. Meanwhile, initiatives such as the Telecom Technology Development Fund and Digital Communication Innovation Square programmes are laying the foundation for a secure, sovereign and scalable telecom ecosystem.
Like any technology, quantum computing is a double-edged sword. Most of our current security systems are Rivest, Shamir and Adleman (RSA)-based, which rely on factoring large prime numbers. But with quantum computers using algorithms like Shor’s, those codes can be cracked, not in minutes, but in seconds. That is why it is critical that we stay ahead.
We need to urgently shift to quantum-safe communication technologies that can withstand even the most powerful quantum attacks. The Centre for Development of Telematics is leading the way by developing quantum key distribution. It is a breakthrough method for secure communication that uses single photons, the smallest particles of light, to transmit encryption keys. What makes this so effective is the quantum property – any attempt to intercept the key changes its state, instantly triggering alerts about a breach.
The United Nations has declared 2025 as the year of quantum, and India has already shown leadership, through the G20 and at last year’s World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly. Let us picture a future where distance does not limit communication, where networks are not just fast but are secure too, where data flows freely but remains protected in a complex digital world. And let us step confidently into the quantum age with purpose, intelligence and vision.
