India’s large-scale push to expand optical fibre networks, 5G services and digital public infrastructure has connected more than 2.15 lakh Gram Panchayats through the BharatNet programme, the government said on Sunday.
According to an official statement, optical fibre deployment across the country increased from 19.35 lakh route kilometres in 2019 to 42.36 lakh route kilometres in 2025.
At the same time, 5G connectivity now covers 99.9 per cent of districts, supported by more than 5.18 lakh base transceiver stations as of December 2025, the statement added.
Under the Prime Minister Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM-WANI) initiative, 4,09,111 public Wi-Fi hotspots have been deployed as of February 2026. These are supported by 207 PDO aggregators and 113 app providers, aimed at providing affordable and high-speed internet access, particularly in rural and remote regions.
The government said integrating last-mile connectivity, digital literacy programmes and affordable internet with platforms that link citizens to markets and social schemes is helping strengthen rural livelihoods and ensure timely delivery of benefits.
Meanwhile, India’s cloud and data centre capacity is expanding rapidly to support digital governance and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. The country’s total data centre capacity currently stands at around 1,280 megawatts and is projected to grow four to five times by 2030, according to the government.
Through MeghRaj (GI Cloud), more than 2,170 ministries and departments are hosting applications on secure and scalable government cloud platforms.
The government also noted that data costs have fallen sharply, from Rs 269 per GB in 2014 to around Rs 8–10 per GB in 2025–26, making India one of the most affordable data markets globally. Broadband subscriptions crossed 100 crore in November 2025, compared to 13.15 crore a decade ago.
Under the National Supercomputing Mission, 38 supercomputers with a combined capacity of 44 petaflops have been deployed across institutions in the country. The initiative aims to extend advanced computing infrastructure beyond major metropolitan centres, enabling universities, startups, researchers and industry to access high-performance computing resources for areas such as AI, climate modelling, biotechnology and advanced manufacturing.
The government added that Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) platforms such as Aadhaar, UPI and DigiLocker are helping translate internet access into real social and economic outcomes by enabling seamless service delivery, financial inclusion and secure digital transactions.
