‘1.2 Billion Subscribers and Counting,’ says Scindia on India’s Digital Rise

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 9th Oct: Union Minister for Communications, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, today addressed the media at India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi, highlighting India’s remarkable progress in telecom and digital sectors over the past decade.

“The last 10 years have seen an exponential change in the telecom and digital sector. We have today 1.2 billion subscribers — the largest penetrated market in the world,” said Shri Scindia. He added that the digital economy currently contributes 12–14% to India’s GDP and is expected to rise to 20% over the next decade.

The Union Minister emphasized India’s growing role in indigenous technology, noting the operational domestic 4G stack at 100,000 BSNL towers, developed in just 20 months. This stack will soon be upgraded to 5G, reflecting India’s motto: “Build in India, Build for the World.”

Shri Scindia also pointed out the success of the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for telecom manufacturing, which achieved ₹91,000 crore in sales, ₹17,800 crore in exports, and created over 20,000 jobs. He stressed that telecom is no longer a standalone vertical but an integrator into equipment, semiconductors, and digital services.

Highlighting India’s leadership in future technologies, he said, “The Bharat 6G Alliance, with 80-plus members, is working to secure at least 10% of global IP once 6G standards are finalised.” Complementary initiatives like the India Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) are driving indigenous R&D and innovation.

IMC 2025 also features major events including the International 6G Symposium, AI Summit, Cybersecurity Summit, SATCOM Summit, IMC Aspire Competition for startups, and the OpenAI API Hackathon. Shri Scindia concluded by acknowledging the industry, innovators, and startups for making IMC 2025 a global showcase of India’s digital innovation.