08 October,2026 12:05 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. File pic
Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday said the country targets to double its 5G user base from 550 million to one billion by 2030, while aiming to lead in 6G, according to news agency PTI.
"Today we have 550 million users on 5G...But we will not rest here. By 2030 our target is to take that number from 550 million to a billion customers on 5G," he said at the 10th edition of India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026.
Scindia said the number of broadband customers has grown to over 1.1 billion from 60 million in the last decade, and India now has 1.35 billion mobile customers.
He pointed out that India now offers the cheapest mobile data in the world, with the cost of 1 GB of data falling from Rs 268 in 2014 to Rs 8 at present.
"Every drop in cost, every increase in usage, has expanded that canvas in which every single Indian can connect, can create, and can innovate," Scindia said.
The minister further said India has expanded its broadband subscriber base to 1 billion from around 60 million over the last 10 years.
Scindia said while India lagged in 4G, the country aims to lead the 6G race.
"We were behind the world in 4G. We marched with the world on 5G. But it is our resolve that we will lead the world on 6G," he said
He further said the Bharat 6G Alliance, which has 90 institutions involved with it, has established 7,700 patents, of which 4,400 are international.
He informed that ITU (International Telecommunication Union) Council has accepted India's proposal to host the Plenipotentiary Conference in 2030.
The minister further said Unified Payments Interface (UPI) accounts for 84 per cent of digital transactions in India, while adding that 49 per cent of the world's digital transactions take place in India.
He said UPI processes 260 billion transactions a year worth USD 3.4 trillion, and has expanded it presence to 11 other countries.
He further stated that the USD 15 billion government-funded BharatNet programme will provide middle-mile connectivity to close to 2.6 lakh gram panchayats, while giving on-demand connectivity to the remaining 3.8 lakh villages, with a 100 Mbps connection to every home as demanded by citizens.
Scindia noted that the mobile phone industry has expanded as it is now a USD 63 billion industry from about USD 2-3 billion in 2014.
India is the second-largest mobile phone producer in the world, with exports estimated to around USD 29 billion.
Noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed 25 years as a head of government, he said, "What India's telecom and digital fraternity has achieved under the Prime Minister's leadership over this single decade is something that might have taken many other nations centuries to accomplish," Scindia said.
(With inputs from PTI and IANS)
