The government is reportedly formulating a new National Telecom Policy (NTP) with ambitious goals to double telecom product exports, achieve universal connectivity through terrestrial and satellite networks at affordable rates, and generate one million new jobs by 2030. The policy is being developed by the Ministry of Communications in consultation with industry stakeholders.
Key objectives include increasing the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector’s contribution to India’s gross domestic product (GDP) from 7.8 per cent to 11 per cent by 2030 and attracting annual investments of Rs 1.5 trillion in telecom infrastructure. The job creation drive will largely focus on emerging domains such as 5G, 6G, the internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, big data, and quantum communications.
The policy also envisions 100 per cent 4G coverage and 90 per cent 5G coverage of the population by 2030. It proposes completing the fibre connectivity of all gram panchayats under BharatNet and extending fibre networks to all government institutions at the village level. Additionally, one million public Wi-Fi hotspots are planned to be deployed nationwide by 2030.
To extend connectivity in rural and remote areas, satellite communication will play a vital role, particularly through non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) systems. Meanwhile, companies such as Starlink, Amazon’s Project Kuiper, Eutelsat OneWeb, and the Jio-SES collaboration are expected to be key players in this domain.
