Mobile Connections, Broadband Subscribers Surged With Affordable Data in 9 Years: Ashwini Vaishnaw in Rajya Sabha

Union Minister for Communications Ashwini Vaishnaw, in the Rajya Sabha on Friday, highlighted the central government’s commitment to further reforms in the telecom sector and shared the growth report from March 2014 to March 2023.

Vaishnaw shed light on various measures taken to enhance the quality of services, bridge the digital divide, and ensure the security of telecom networks across the country.

As per the response, the government’s commitment to reforming the telecom sector has led to significant progress in the past nine years.

The growth report stated:

• The mobile subscriber count, those who have active mobile phone connections, has risen from 90.45 crore in 2014 to 114.39 crore as of March 2023
• Mobile broadband subscribers have soared from 4.56 crore in 2014 to 81.20 crore in 2023, highlighting the growing digital connectivity in the country
• The number of mobile towers has increased from 4 lakhs to 9.9 lakh, and the base transceiver stations (BTS) have grown from 6.49 lakh to 25.42 lakh in the same period.
• Optical Fibre Cable laid has witnessed substantial growth, from 11.05 lakh km to 38.06 lakh km.
• The average mobile data tariff has significantly reduced from Rs 269 per GB to Rs 10.1, making data more affordable to a wider population.
• Data usage per mobile subscriber per month has surged from 0.27 GB to 17.11 GB, underlining the increasing reliance on digital services.

RURAL COVERAGE

As per Vaishnaw’s response, the government has launched various initiatives to extend telecom facilities to villages that were previously devoid of telecommunication services. The ongoing BharatNet initiative is aimed at providing coverage to all uncovered 38,901 villages, with an outlay of over Rs 41,000 crore.

Furthermore, the response to Parliament noted that the scope of BharatNet has been expanded to encompass all inhabited villages, involving an outlay of Rs 1.39 lakh crore.

It was also stated that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) plays a crucial role in ensuring quality services. The government has engaged TRAI to review existing Quality of Service (QoS) regulations, with the aim of incorporating more stringent parameters and benchmarks to enhance the overall quality of telecom services.

The response also highlighted various measures that underscore the government’s focus on safety and security, streamlined processes, and integrated infrastructure connectivity. These include the launch of the Call Before You Dig (CBuD) app, the “Gati Shakti Sanchar” portal, and the Sanchar Saathi portal.