At the recently concluded International Telecommunication Union (ITU)-World Telecommunication Standardisation Assembly (WTSA) 2024 and India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2024, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister of Communications; and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region, reflected on India’s rapid digital growth, modern telecom reforms, pan-India 4G coverage by 2024, and the road map for 6G leadership. Edited excerpts from his address…
Last year, in September 2024, India took up the baton of the G20 Summit for the first time in her history of 75 years. In the same vein of firsts, we are honoured to host the illustrious WTSA assembly, notably also the first for the entire Asia, to celebrate the power of technology, particularly telecommunications, and the underlying global frameworks and standards. The event was attended by 3,200 delegates from over 160 countries – the highest ever for any WTSA assembly in its history.
The world over, mobile and telecom are no longer seen as just modes of communication but as integral aspects of connecting individuals across the globe and within the country’s distant corners. The significance of telecom in India is not just confined to television, the internet and mobile phones; in fact, it encompasses banking, welfare schemes, broadcasting essential information, and global connectivity.
One of the most remarkable examples of the power of telecom paving the way for universal empowerment is the direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme, which facilitates more than 10 million direct cash transfers on a daily basis into the bank accounts of people.
There is a fundamental change in the approach towards technology development and India is witnessing this first-hand. The government’s motto of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayaas” combined with “One Earth, One Family and One Future”, has the underlying objectives of connecting the unconnected.
India is steadfastly bridging the gap between the digital haves and the have-nots through the BharatNet programme, which is the world’s largest rural broadband connectivity programme with an investment of over $10 billion. So far, 70,000,000 km of fibre has been laid. Our success has staggering numbers associated with it. Mobile connections in India have risen from 904 million to over 1.16 billion today. Broadband connectivity in India 10 years ago was restricted to only 60 million users. Today, it is a staggering 924 million users. Optical fibre cable (OFC) in India was only 11 million route km; today, it is 41 million route km. These staggering numbers of growth are accompanied by a digital payment system, 4G stack, and the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) – the innovations which will serve as the foundation of the Indian and global digital economy.
It is our resolve that we shall bring policies to speed up our pace in sync with the changing times and overcome challenges that confront us. The recent changes to the Telecommunications Act, 2023 are a case in point. It has been designed in such a way so as to modernise the country’s telecommunications framework, drawing light upon hitherto unaddressed areas such as the high potential sector of satellite communications and addressing the challenges of the digital era, the most important being cybersecurity. The telecom sector, much like other growth-critical sectors in India, is aggressive and ambitious and our outlook in our journey from Amrit Kaal to Shatabdi Kaal is to lead the world.
By the middle of next year, we will have rolled out 4G across the length and breadth of India. We have had the fastest 5G roll-out in the country, with 450,000 BTSs covering 98 per cent of districts and 90 per cent of villages covered in a span of only 21 months. I am confident that this progress and attitude will help us become the first mover in 6G technology as well.
It is noteworthy that the IMC and the International 6G Symposium demonstrated both local and global advancements in 6G and also designed principles that will shape the future of telecom. With our Bharat 6G Alliance, we hope to contribute at least 10 per cent of patents to 6G standardisation. Although India followed the world in 4G and marched with it in 5G implementation, it is our firm belief and commitment thatw we shall lead the world in 6G.
