New Delhi, February 11 (IANS). Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Wednesday that India followed the world in 4G, kept pace with the world in 5G and will now lead the world in 6G.
Answering questions in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister spoke about India’s rapidly changing digital ecosystem and its future roadmap.
India has launched 5G at the fastest speed in the world. Within just 22 months, 5G services have been launched in 99.9 percent of the districts in the country, setting a global benchmark.
“Telecom service providers have invested around Rs 4 lakh crore for this expansion, with more than 5 lakh BTS (Base Transceiver Stations) installed across the country,” he said.
He said, currently, 40 crore citizens are benefiting from 5G services and this number is expected to increase to 1 billion by 2030.
Highlighting efforts to increase last mile digital connectivity, Scindia said the expansion of Wi-Fi networks is ushering in a new revolution in rural India.
He said that Maharashtra is one of the top states in the country in terms of deployment of Wi-Fi hotspots. The Union Minister said that broadband connectivity in India has increased from 6 crore connections a decade ago to 1 billion today.
The government aims to further strengthen and deepen this digital infrastructure by 2030.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is no longer a follower of technology but has emerged as a global digital leader,” the communications minister said.
He said the revolution is no longer limited to metros, but is reaching villages across the country, reshaping the lives, education, health care and livelihoods of citizens.
Additionally, the government said India has improved its global ‘Network Readiness Index 2025’ (NRI 2025) position by four slots and is now ranked 45th.
“India has not only improved its ranking but also increased its score from 53.63 out of 100 in 2024 to 54.43 out of 100 in 2025. Also, India is leading in many indicators,” the communications ministry said.
–IANS
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