India’s Villages Witness Digital Revolution: 11 Years of Telecom Transformation Under Modi Government

 

Over the past 11 years, India has witnessed a historic transformation in the telecom and digital connectivity sector, taking the benefits of digital India far beyond urban centers into rural villages, forests, and even border areas.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government’s policy-driven initiatives have not only expanded telecom infrastructure but also empowered remote populations with digital tools, broadband connectivity, and mobile services, previously unthinkable in such regions.

 

A Decade of Digital Expansion

When the Modi government came to power in 2014, India ranked 118th in mobile broadband penetration. Today, in 2025, India has jumped to the top 10 nations globally in mobile broadband accessibility.

Key accomplishments include:

• Mobile towers increased from 6.1 lakh (2014) to 21.15 lakh (2025)
• Internet subscribers rose from 25.15 crore to over 92 crore
• Optical fiber laid across 6.72 lakh kilometers, reaching over 3.94 lakh villages
• 268.97 crore mobile connections and 93.3 crore smartphone users as of 2025

 

Connecting Every Last Village

The BharatNet project and related infrastructure programs have connected remote and underserved villages. Key rural achievements include:

• 175,786 villages now digitally mapped
• Villages like Tumling, Sela Pass, and Siachen—located at extreme altitudes—are now online
• Over 2,214 remote areas now have 4G coverage, including border security camps

These transformations have helped digital education, telemedicine, e-commerce, and digital banking flourish in rural India.

 

Empowering With 5G and Indigenous Manufacturing

India launched 5G services in record time, with over 4 lakh 5G base stations already installed across over 738 districts.

Simultaneously, domestic mobile manufacturing boomed:

• Mobile handset production increased 22 times in 11 years
• Exports surged, making India one of the leading mobile manufacturing hubs globally

 

Government’s Visionary Policies

Several key reforms have driven this growth:

• Simplification of telecom rules
• Spectrum auctions with transparency and reduced entry barriers
• Strategic funding and partnerships under the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF)
• Digitization of postal services and linking with Aadhaar and UPI for better financial access