New Delhi, Feb 11 (IANS) Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday said that India followed the world in 4G, marched with the world in 5G and will lead the world in 6G.
Responding to questions in the Lok Sabha today, the minister highlighted India’s rapidly transforming digital landscape and future roadmap.
India has rolled out 5G at the fastest pace in the world. Within just 22 months, 5G services have been launched in 99.9 per cent of the country’s districts, setting a global benchmark.
“Telecom service providers have invested nearly Rs 4 lakh crore for this expansion, with over 5 lakh BTS (Base Transceiver Stations) installed nationwide,” he mentioned.
Currently, 400 million citizens are benefiting from 5G services, and this number is expected to rise to 1 billion by 2030, he stated.
Highlighting efforts to extend digital connectivity to the last mile, Scindia said the expansion of Wi-Fi networks is ushering in a new revolution in rural India.
He noted that Maharashtra ranks among the top states in the country in terms of Wi-Fi hotspots deployments. The minister further underlined that broadband connectivity in India has surged from 60 million connections a decade ago to 1 billion today.
By 2030, the government aims to further strengthen and deepen this digital infrastructure.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is no longer a follower of technology but has emerged as a global digital leader,” said Communications Minister, adding that the revolution is no longer confined to metropolitan cities but is reaching villages across the country, reshaping citizens’ lives, education, healthcare, and livelihoods.
Meanwhile, the government said India has improved its global ‘Network Readiness Index 2025’ (NRI 2025) position by four slots and is now placed at 45th rank, leading in several indicators. The report has been published by the Portulans Institute, an independent, non-profit research and educational institute based in Washington, DC.
“India has not only improved its ranking but has also improved its score from 53.63 out of 100 in 2024 to 54.43 out of 100 in 2025. It is noteworthy that India leads in several indicators,” said Ministry of Communications.
--IANS
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