According to the data by the Ministry of Communications, as of March 2024, out of total internet subscribers of 954.4 million in India, there are 398.35 million rural internet subscribers. Further, as of April 2024, out of 6,44,131 villages in the country, 6,12,952 villages are having 3G/4G mobile connectivity. Thus, 95.15 per cent villages are having access to internet.
The number of internet subscribers in India has surged from 251.59 million in March 2014 to 954.40 million in March 2024, achieving a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.26 per cent. Average download speeds have skyrocketed by 2,432.29 per cent, increasing from 4.18 Mbps in 2014 to 105.85 Mbps in 2024. Consequently, India’s ranking in average internet download speed has improved dramatically from 130th to 16th place during this period, highlighting significant advancements in connectivity and infrastructure.
In addition, under BharatNet project, out of total 222,000 gram panchayats (GPs) envisaged under the two phases BharatNet, 213,000 GPs have been made service ready. Also, the Amended BharatNet Program aims to provide optical fibre connectivity to 42,000 uncovered GPs and remaining 384,000 villages on demand basis and to provide 15 million rural home fibre connections.
Additionally, a total of 35,680 uncovered villages/habitations in the country are being covered under the ongoing USOF schemes. All these villages/habitations are located in rural, remote, inaccessible areas and are in difficult terrain like hilly area, dense forest, etc. Under different USOF funded schemes around 9,000 uncovered villages have been covered with 4G connectivity by expenditure of about 110 billion.
Furthermore, under the Digital India Initiative, various technology-led startups and innovation schemes like Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs (TIDE 2.0), Gen-Next Support for Innovative Startups (GENESIS), domain specific Centres of Excellence (CoEs) and Next Generation Incubation Scheme (NGIS) have been undertaken with a total funding outlay of around Rs 8 billion in the country including tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
