Opinion | How India’s Telecom Revolution is Fuelling Its Economic Ambitions

The evolution of mobile connectivity has not only reshaped India's economic landscape but has become a powerful catalyst for social inclusion and gender equality across our digital ecosystem.

 India's telecom revolution was ushered in on July 31, 1995, when the country's first 2G/GSM call was made by then Union Telecom Minister Sukh Ram to then-Chief Minister of West Bengal Jyoti Basu, using a Nokia handset over a Nokia supplied network.

 While 2G technology primarily enabled human-to-human communication through voice and text with very limited data capabilities, the 3G era introduced support for internet browsing and email. We have come remarkably far since then. The 4G era catalysed massive data consumption, while 5G has shifted focus toward ultra mobile broadband, Internet of Things (IoT) and industrial automation.

Since the launch in October 2022, 5G services have expanded to over 99% of districts nationwide. This widespread availability of 5G, alongside existing 4G networks, has fundamentally transformed how Indians live, work, and interact. 

This is clearly illustrated by the surge in average monthly data traffic per user to 27.5 GB, fuelled by average mobile data speeds reaching 100 Mbps or higher. The country now boasts the world's second-largest 5G market, with a remarkable surge in 5G data usage that projections indicate will surpass 4G traffic by Q1 2026.

 Telecom Transforming Society and Industries

The ripple effects of telecom evolution extend across numerous sectors. Gaming and AR/VR applications deliver more immersive experiences with lower latency and higher bandwidth. Education now reaches students in the most remote areas at the click of a button. Healthcare benefits from remote consultations and preventive monitoring through wearables. Agriculture is transforming as farmers can access marketplace in real-time and leverage IoT based smart crop management to improve yield. Smart cities are becoming more efficient and responsive to citizens' needs. Enterprises are leveraging Industry 4.0 for driving productivity and innovation.

 Powering India's Digital Economy

The State of India's Digital Economy Report 2024 confirms our nation's impressive standing as the third-largest digitalized country globally in terms of economy-wide digitalization. The widespread and easy access to high-speed mobile connectivity has been instrumental in fuelling this digital revolution. Our digital economy is now projected to contribute 20% to the national GDP by 2029-30.

 Furthermore, India has established itself as the global leader in digital payments, accounting for nearly half of all global digital transactions—a testament to our remarkable digital transformation.

 The Future with 5G-Advanced and 6G

We stand at the threshold of even more profound technological shifts. While today's 5G networks excel at delivering information, 5G-Advanced will provide precise answers to "where" and "when" questions through innovations in high-precision location, presence, and timing technologies.

 Looking further ahead, the 6G era will seamlessly fuse digital, physical, and human worlds to create extrasensory experiences. Intelligent knowledge systems combined with robust computational capabilities will dramatically enhance human efficiency and redefine how we live, work, and care for our planet.

 Gender Equality in Digital Transformation

This year's World Telecom Day, "Gender Equality in Digital Transformation," highlights a critical dimension of our digital journey. For instance, in many households, women are often given basic feature phones, primarily for voice calls. GSMA reports that over 785 million women are still not using mobile internet across low and middle-income countries including India. Encouragingly, under India's presidency, G20 leaders committed to halving the digital gender gap by 2030. Progress is already visible. GSMA's Mobile Gender Gap Report 2024 shows that the gender gap in smartphone ownership in India has narrowed from 40% to 32% between 2023 and 2024.

 Achieving true digital gender parity would require coordinated efforts from government, industry, and society. Harnessing the power of telecom is not just about economic growth but for creating a more equitable digital society, one where everyone has the opportunity to participate, innovate, and thrive.

(The writer is Tarun Chhabra, Senior Vice President and Country Head at Nokia India. The views expressed are personal)