NewzVille dESK
Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, Dr Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, inaugurated the second edition of the COAI DIGICOM SUMMIT 2026 in Delhi today. The summit is themed “India’s Techade: Accelerating and Shaping the Digital Future.”
Addressing the gathering, Dr Pemmasani said that India has come a long way and that the changes in the telecom sector have been transformative.
He noted that technology is not standing still and that 6G, Artificial Intelligence and Quantum represent the next wave, which is both exciting and challenging.
Emphasising collaboration, he stated that a strong telecom sector is built by both Government and industry.
He also highlighted that India’s BharatNet is the largest rural broadband programme anywhere in the world and aims to connect over 2.6 lakh Gram Panchayats, with long-term operation and maintenance built in. Citizen protection architecture comprising Sanchar Saathi, Digital Intelligence Platform, Chakshu and ASTR has also been established at a massive scale, which is the most comprehensive policy support architecture that the telecom sector has received in its history.
Recognising industry contributions, the Minister of State noted that the 5G rollout was completed in roughly 22 months with over 5.1 lakh base stations and more than 400 million subscribers. India has a subscriber base of over 1.22 billion, among the lowest tariffs globally and among the highest per-user data consumption. Sectoral gross revenue grew by 10.7% in FY25 to ₹3.72 lakh crore, while FDI inflows of over ₹2.4 lakh crore up to June 2025 indicate strong foreign capital confidence.
