Digital Infrastructure Surge
India's commitment to enhancing its digital infrastructure has propelled it to a notable 45th position out of 127 nations in the 2025 Network Readiness
Index (NRI). This four-place jump from the previous year is a direct result of substantial progress in building superior technological foundations, devising more effective ways to ensure widespread access to digital services, and implementing refined regulatory frameworks. The Portulans Institute, an independent research body based in Washington, D.C., highlighted these advancements, noting that India's overall score climbed from 53.63 in 2024 to 54.43 in 2025. This improvement reflects a holistic development across technological capabilities, human resources equipped for the digital age, and streamlined government operations, all contributing to a more robust and accessible digital ecosystem for its citizens.
Global Digital Leadership
The nation is now recognized as a world leader in several critical digital domains. It holds the premier position globally for annual investments in telecommunication services and for its prolific output of scientific publications focusing on artificial intelligence. Furthermore, India leads in the export of information and communication technology (ICT) services and has established robust legal frameworks for e-commerce. Demonstrating its strong connectivity, India also secures second place for the widespread adoption of fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) subscriptions and for its significant mobile broadband internet traffic. The country further ranks second for international internet bandwidth and achieves third place in both domestic market scale and income equality. These achievements underscore India's significant progress in enhancing digital connectivity and its emerging strength in vital digital economic sectors.
Nationwide Network Expansion
With over 120 million mobile users fueling rapid digital network expansion, India is on a mission to bridge the rural-urban digital divide. The government aims to provide 4G internet access to every village by June 2026. State-run telecom operator BSNL is central to this effort, having established 97,068 4G sites, with 93,511 currently operational. These 4G towers are slated for transformation into 5G infrastructure in the coming months, promising enhanced speeds and reliability. The 5G rollout has been remarkably successful, covering all states and union territories and reaching 99.9% of districts. Telecom providers have deployed over 5.08 lakh 5G Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) nationwide, facilitating high-speed internet, low-latency services, and advanced technologies like AI and IoT for both urban and rural populations.
Economic Growth Catalyst
These advancements are pivotal in driving India's digital transformation and fostering economic growth. Enhanced network readiness translates into improved access to essential services such as online education, e-governance, digital healthcare, and financial services. The vibrant startup ecosystem and tech industry, alongside MSMEs, are presented with unprecedented opportunities to innovate and develop solutions that can connect them to global markets. Notably, India ranks second among lower-middle-income countries in network readiness, with its digital infrastructure significantly outperforming expectations for its income level. This success is attributed to supportive government policies, strategic investments in intelligent technologies, and a growing digital proficiency among the populace, reinforcing the nation's ambition for digital empowerment.
