India’s rollout of fifth‑generation (5G) mobile services has reached a significant milestone, with coverage now confirmed in 99.9 per cent of districts nationwide, the government announced in Parliament on Friday.
The expansion represents near‑ubiquitous access to high‑speed mobile connectivity across the country’s states and union territories.
Responding to questions in the Rajya Sabha, Dr Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, said that as of 31 October, telecom service providers (TSPs) had installed 5.08 lakh 5G Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) in both rural and urban locations to support the network rollout. In total, more than 31 lakh BTS units of all mobile generations have been set up nationwide.
Efforts to Strengthen Connectivity
The minister highlighted that the government has undertaken several targeted measures to improve mobile coverage and broadband access, particularly in previously underserved regions.
These include the BharatNet project, which aims to extend broadband connectivity to Gram Panchayats and villages, and specific schemes to introduce mobile services in Left Wing Extremism‑affected areas and Aspirational Districts.
The government is implementing the 4G Saturation Scheme to extend 4G coverage into villages that currently lack it and to support the ongoing expansion of 5G services.
The launch of the GatiShakti Sanchar portal and revised Right of Way (RoW) Rules have helped streamline the permissions process for telecom infrastructure deployment.
The government has also introduced time‑bound clearances that allow telecom providers to use street furniture for small cell installations, helping to speed up the build‑out of network infrastructure.
Dr Chandra Sekhar said that private TSPs and state‑led service providers are actively deploying network infrastructure and are sharing it wherever techno‑commercial feasibility allows.
Alongside the 5G achievements, the government is laying the groundwork for future technology evolution. Seven dedicated working groups under the Bharat 6G Alliance have presented progress reports and roadmaps covering key domains such as technology, spectrum, devices, applications and sustainability.
Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia emphasised that seamless alignment across these areas, supported by monthly joint reviews, will be essential to translate innovation into practical outcomes.
He also underlined that spectrum policy will be central to India’s strategy for 6G development, noting that substantial spectrum refarming efforts have already begun.
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