NEW DELHI: The Economic Survey of 2023-24, released on July 22, stated that India has become one of the fastest-growing 5G networks in the world. After the launch of the 5G services, India's international rank for mobile broadband speed improved from 118 to 15 as of March 2024.

The Survey, tabled on July 22, added that the total number of mobile towers in the country was 8.02 lakh as of June 2024, while the number of Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) stood at 29.37 lakh, and 5G BTSs were 4.5 lakh.

The survey also highlighted that telecom technology development requires substantial patient capital for research, development, and commercialisation. In response, the government has decided to allocate 5 percent of the annual collections from the Universal Services Obligation Fund (USOF) for research and development in the telecom sector.

The Telecom Technology Development Fund formulated in 2022 has seen significant participation from start-ups, MSMEs, academia and industry.

India's overall teledensity (number of mobile phones per 100 people) has increased from 75.2 percent in March 2014 to 85.7 percent in March 2024. The Survey added that the number of wireless telephone connections stood at 116.5 crore at the end of March 2024.

"The Bharat 5G Portal propels India's 5G capabilities and fosters innovation, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing within the telecom sector," the Survey said.

The country's internet subscriber base jumped from 25.1 crore in March 2014 to 95.4 crore in March 2024, with 91.4 crore internet access via wireless phones.

"The internet density also increased to 68.2 percent in March 2024, while the cost of data has declined substantially, vastly improving the average wireless data usage per subscriber," the Survey added.

The Survey added that the amended BharatNet national broadband programme is now being rolled out to provide broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats in the country. "As of March 31, 2024, 6,83,175 kilometres of Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) has been laid, connecting a total of 2,06,709 Gram Panchayats (GPs) by OFC in the BharatNet phase I and II."

The government has implemented reforms to promote healthy competition, reduce regulatory burdens on telecom providers, and protect consumer interests. These reforms include changes to adjusted gross revenue definitions, spectrum sharing and trading, rationalised spectrum usage charges, and allowance of 100 percent foreign direct investment in the telecom sector under certain safeguards, the Survey noted.