Handset affordability key for bridging digital divide: Jyotiraditya Scindia

New Delhi: Handset affordability is the biggest barrier to closing the global digital divide where 3.1 billion people remain unconnected despite widespread network coverage, union communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Friday.

"The shocking thing is that they remain unconnected not because of a lack of network; 50% of them reside where there is a network already in place. The key issue, therefore, is affordability," Scindia said at the ninth edition of the ETTelecom 5G Congress.

He said India is tackling the issue of handset affordability through reforms such as the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme to promote production in the country.


The minister also noted that India built the world's second largest 5G network, with over 500,000 base transceiver stations (BTS) deployed covering 99.9% of all districts, in just 22 months after the commercial rollout in 2022.

The country also has the second-largest 5G ecosystem with 400 million out of its 1.22 mobile phone users already using 5G services, Scindia said.

Minister of state for communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said the country's 5G subscriber base is projected to reach one billion by 2031, driven by regulatory reforms to boost coverage and affordability in the sector.

He said the focus is shifting to 6G. "We have a target of contributing 10% of patents in 6G standards because being in the standards is not just about national pride and paper statements, it's more about economics," Pemmasani said. "When South Korea entered the 3G ecosystem, that's when companies like Samsung and LG became the global leaders," he noted.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti highlighted India's preparedness for 6G through initiatives such as the Bharat 6G Alliance, government-funded testbeds, and over 100 approved research projects.

These efforts aim to build indigenous capabilities in next-generation technologies and align with global development roadmaps.

Scindia noted that the time it takes for technological transformation is compressing. What used to take a quarter of a century or decades, now happens in just a few years. India's 5G journey is defined by its momentum, he said.

Telecom operators have spent ₹4.5 lakh crore to build 5G networks, the minister said.