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The first edition of the Digicom Summit 2025 witnessed an insightful address by TRAI Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti who spoke on various topics highlighting the role of telecom in empowering Viksit Bharat including India's position as a committed stakeholder in leveraging digital technology for an equitable and sustainable world.
Quoting a stanford study, Lahoti said "according to a Stanford study the country leads globally in AI skill penetration. It operates the world’s second-largest telecom network and, as per an ICRIER study, India is ranked as the third-most digitised economy. In cybersecurity, India has achieved Tier 1 status in the ITU’s Global Cybersecurity Index 2024, joining the ranks of role-model nations.
The digital economy now contributes approximately 12% to the nation’s GDP and is projected to grow to 20% by 2026–2027. With a growth rate 2.8 times that of the overall GDP, the government has set an ambitious target of a USD 1 trillion digital economy by 2027–2028."
The Indian telecom sector, a key driver of the digital economy, has undergone transformative development in recent years. Fuelled by unprecedented data consumption, a vast user base, and a policy-friendly environment, the sector continues to foster growth in digital connectivity, skills, and startup innovation. In accordance with TRAI chairman, the telecom user base has grown to approximately 1.2 billion, with 944 million broadband users. Notably, rural broadband subscriptions have seen over 100-fold growth in the last decade, with regions such as Assam, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh East recording higher rural broadband connections than urban areas.
Focusing on advancing digital equity, Lahoti mentioned, "currently, 97% of villages have 4G connectivity, and over 99% of districts are connected to 5G networks. Under the BharatNet programme, over 2.14 lakh gram panchayats are now connected via fibre optic networks, while 5,000 are linked through satellites. The programme has also added 1.1 million FTTH connections and over 100,000 public Wi-Fi hotspots. Monthly data consumption has surged to 132 petabytes (132 million gigabytes). BharatNet is now in its third phase, aiming for universal connectivity with an allocated outlay of $16.6 million to enhance network resilience."
He further added, "Efforts are also underway to automate digital service delivery through Common Service Centres and to promote entrepreneurship at the village level. Despite generating 20% of global data, India currently holds just 3% of global data centre capacity. However, this is set to change with significant investments. The country’s data centre capacity of 977 megawatts, the second-highest in the Asia-Pacific and 13th globally, is expected to grow fivefold, with 2.32 gigawatts already planned. India hosts over 250 data centres, 40 internet exchange points, and 23 embedded cloud service providers. Investments of USD 27 billion in the past three years indicate a surge to 17 gigawatts by 2030."
India also plays a pivotal role in the global submarine cable network, further cementing its position as a global digital powerhouse. With these advancements, India is poised to lead in the digital era, ensuring inclusive growth and technological innovation for all.
Talking about Satellite communications he highlighted that "satellite communications are evolving rapidly with both geostationary and non -geostationary systems playing pivotal role which will significantly aid the coverage of digital connectivity. Having digital connectivity alone does not translate into the outcomes. Rather, how technology is made to work for the people is more crucial. Here, India has again led in the form of digital public infrastructure under the Jamf Trinity, which has accelerated the process of financial inclusivity. Digital payments enabled through digital connectivity and real -time user identification have reduced the cost of transactions, increased transparency and reduced misappropriation."