COAI Dialogues: Nokia’s Sandeep Saxena charts the road to Digital India 2030

At the COAI Dialogues, one of the most influential conferences in India’s telecom sector, Sandeep Saxena, Head of Technology and Solutions in Mobile Networks at Nokia India, highlighted the country’s progress in broadband access and digital transactions. He set out ambitious 2030 targets and pointed to four technology pillars: universal access, artificial intelligence, cloud integration and next-generation devices that will define the next chapter of India’s digital economy.

Setting the stage: COAI Dialogues

The COAI (Cellular Operators Association of India) Dialogues has become a key platform where policymakers, industry leaders and technology providers debate the future of connectivity. This year, discussions focused on how India can accelerate its digital transformation to support economic growth, innovation and inclusion.

It was against this backdrop that Nokia’s Sandeep Saxena delivered his keynote, linking India’s remarkable telecom achievements with the road ahead to 2030.

Broadband access reshaping India

In his address, Sandeep noted how connectivity in India has grown far beyond being a catchphrase. “Almost 99% of districts and 95% of villages now have access to broadband,” he said. This expansion has translated into more than 970 million broadband subscribers, making India one of the largest digital economies in the world.

The change is visible in daily life. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) now processes 640 million transactions each day, the highest anywhere, underlining how deeply digital services have taken root.

Ambitious goals for 2030

Looking to the future, Sandeep outlined the government’s and industry’s shared targets for 2030:

• 80% broadband coverage across the country, up from around 46% today.
• 100 million broadband users by the end of the decade.
• Expansion from 270,000 public hotspots today to 100 million by 2030.
• Connectivity extended into challenging terrains, such as remote villages and border regions.

Achieving these milestones, he stressed, will demand both infrastructure investment and new approaches to network innovation.

Four pillars of India’s digital future

Sandeep described four core technology pillars that will support India’s digital leap forward:

1. Universal access: Connectivity must be seamless across geographies, devices and technologies. From IoT sensors to smartphones, users should experience uninterrupted access.
2. Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI is already reshaping telecom operations. From planning and deployment to performance optimisation and security, AI enables networks to sense, predict and act. “Networks that can sense, predict and act are no longer science fiction, they are becoming reality,” Sandeep said.
3. Cloud integration: Introducing the idea of a “network-cloud continuum”, Sandeep argued that harmonising public, private and hybrid clouds with telecom networks will boost efficiency and foster innovation.
4. Next-generation devices: With the device ecosystem expanding beyond smartphones to include AI-powered wearables, smart glasses and VR headsets, computing will move closer to the user, enabling real-time and immersive experiences.

Balancing ambition with pragmatism

While celebrating progress, Sandeep cautioned that extending broadband to unserved areas will involve hurdles of geography, cost and sustainability. He emphasised the need for collaboration between government, industry and technology partners to ensure balanced, inclusive growth.

India’s global standing

Concluding his keynote, Sandeep voiced optimism about India’s future. “By 2030, we aim to triple the power of our digital economy,” he said, underscoring that universal access, AI, cloud and new devices will underpin the nation’s growth.

With nearly a billion broadband users already online and hundreds of millions of daily digital transactions, India’s transformation is not a distant prospect; it is already under way.