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The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) closed 2025 on a high note, registering landmark achievements in connectivity, digital infrastructure, and telecom self-reliance.
A Year-End Review statement released by the Ministry of Communications highlighted unprecedented growth in internet and mobile penetration, rapid nationwide rollout of 5G services, and major strides in indigenous technology development. One of the most significant milestones of the year was the launch of the National Broadband Mission (NBM) 2.0 in January 2025, aimed at accelerating India's digital transformation. The mission envisions extending high-speed broadband to villages, schools, health centres and other anchor institutions, aligning with the government's vision of a "Viksit Bharat" by 2047. India's telecom footprint expanded rapidly during the year. Internet connections crossed the one-billion mark to reach over 100 crore, a nearly fourfold increase from 2014. Broadband subscriptions surged to nearly 100 crore, while average monthly data consumption per wireless subscriber rose dramatically to 24 GB, placing India among the world's highest data consumers. Median mobile broadband speeds also saw a sharp jump, touching over 130 Mbps by October 2025. The rollout of 5G emerged as a defining achievement. According to the review, 5G services are now available in all States and Union Territories, covering 99.9 per cent of districts and reaching about 85 per cent of the population. Telecom Service Providers have installed more than 5.08 lakh 5G Base Transceiver Stations across the country. Complementing this expansion, optical fibre cable length has more than doubled since 2019, significantly strengthening back-end digital infrastructure. Rural connectivity recorded particularly strong growth. Rural telephone connections increased by nearly 43 per cent since 2014, almost double the pace of urban growth, underscoring the sector's role in bridging the digital divide. Overall tele-density rose to 86.65 per cent by September 2025. A major highlight of the year was India becoming only the fifth country globally to develop its own indigenous 4G technology stack. Developed through collaboration between C-DOT, Tejas Networks and TCS, and deployed by BSNL, the home-grown network is fully software-driven and upgradable to 5G. The year-end review also notes substantial progress under the Bharat 6G Mission, positioning India as an active contributor to future global telecom standards. Citizen-centric reforms and cyber-security initiatives featured prominently in 2025. The Sanchar Saathi portal and mobile app gained massive traction, helping trace and block fraudulent connections and recover stolen devices. The Sanchar Saathi mobile app, launched in Hindi, English and 21 regional languages, recorded more than 1.5 crore downloads since its launch, and the portal recorded 22 crore visitors, as per the year-end review statement. The newly introduced Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI), now integrated with banking systems, helped prevent financial losses of around 450 crore by flagging over 70 lakh suspicious transactions. The DoT also played a critical role in ensuring resilient communications during natural disasters and security situations across multiple states. Indigenous cell broadcasting technology was successfully deployed to deliver real-time alerts during cyclones, marking a major advancement in public warning systems. On the manufacturing front, the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for telecom equipment delivered strong results, with cumulative sales exceeding 96,000 crore and exports crossing 19,000 crore. Together, these developments reinforce India's transition from a telecom consumer to a global digital and innovation leader. (ANI)
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