There has been a paradigm shift in India’s telecom technology space that underscores an ongoing effective transition from a technology importer to a technology developer and exporter, the Economic Survey 2024-25 said on Friday.

India’s achievement of the fastest 5G rollout globally highlights its technological prowess in the telecom sector. India’s telecom sector is expanding with the smartphone boom, surging data consumption, and the advent of technologies like 5G, it said.

“India stands as the second largest telecommunications market, with over 1.18 billion telephone subscribers, an overall teledensity of 84 per cent, and 941 million broadband users as of October 31, 2024,” it said adding that the country also leads in mobile data consumption per subscriber and offers the world’s most affordable data rates.

It noted that the rollout of 5G services, along with the introduction of new policies aimed at enhancing telecommunications infrastructure and user experience, has played a crucial role in digital connectivity.

By October 31, 2024, 5G services were launched in all States and union territories and currently, 5G services are available in 779 out of 783 districts. Over 4.6 lakh 5G base transceiver stations (BTSs) have been installed nationwide, it said.

It said that telecom infrastructure is being strengthened through the Bharat Net Project, which extends broadband to villages and enhances mobile coverage in the Northeast, border areas, and islands.

“As of December 2024, 6.92 lakh km of Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) has been laid, 2.14 lakh gram panchayats (GPs) are service-ready (including 5,032 via satellite, 12.04 lakh fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) connections have been installed,” the Survey indicated.

Acording to the Survey, submarine OFC connectivity has been completed in Andaman & Nicobar Islands with 205 Gbps bandwidth utilised and satellite bandwidth increased from 2 Gbps to 4 Gbps. Similarly, the submarine OFC project (1,869 km) was commissioned in Lakshadweep Islands in January 2024, enabling 5G and FTTH services.

Mobile services are also available now in uncovered areas under the Border Villages Scheme, where 319 villages have been covered with 4G (295 towers), 297 towers upgraded to 4G, and 1,106 towers commissioned covering 1,162 locations under Phase I and II, respectively, in left-wing extremism (LWE) areas.

Similarly, under the comprehensive telecom development plan for North-Eastern region, mobile services are being provided with 1,358 sites in uncovered villages and highways. For instance, 671 towers were installed to cover 1,178 villages in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, 433 towers in Meghalaya to cover 622 villages and three highways, it added.

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