According to Anil Kumar Lahoti, chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), India’s data transmission capacity is expected to grow four times with the activation of new submarine cables due in 2025 that connect the country to several key markets of the world. India plays a key role in the global submarine cable network as it hosts around 17 international subsea cables across 17 district landing stations.
He mentioned that telecom services are the backbone of the digital economy and industry is playing a critical role in supporting its growth. The contribution of the digital economy to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) has grown to about 12 per cent of the GDP which is estimated to reach 20 per cent by 2026-27.
He also highlighted that the telecom user community has grown to about 1.2 billion, out of which 944 million are broadband users. Meanwhile, he acknowledged the effort of telecom operators in providing 4G coverage across 97 per cent of the villages and 5G connectivity in over 99 per cent of districts in the country.
