Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday said the India Mobile Congress must evolve into a platform that showcases India’s technological capabilities to the world, asserting that the country has the “manpower, mobility and mindset” to drive its global technology ambitions.
Addressing the India Mobile Congress 2026, Scindia said India has emerged as one of the world’s most affordable data markets, with broadband subscribers increasing from around 60 million a decade ago to more than 1.1 billion.
He highlighted India’s growing capabilities in next-generation telecommunications and said the Bharat 6G Alliance, comprising 90 institutions and collaborations with global partners, has established 7,700 patents, including 4,400 international patents.
“We have the manpower, mobility and mindset to take this momentum beyond boundaries,” Scindia said.
He stressed that India’s focus must now shift towards taking its technological capabilities to global markets.
“The first decade brought the world to India. The next decade must take India to the world,” he said.
The Communications Minister also highlighted the impact of the government’s production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme on domestic mobile and technology manufacturing.
He said the initiative had helped India emerge among the world’s top four producers of technology equipment within 22 months.
On digital inclusion, Scindia said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Digital India mission is built around two key objectives — democratisation of technology and ensuring that technological progress reaches every citizen, enterprise and community.
“Technology must serve every enterprise. Technology must serve every community,” he said.
Referring to the government’s BharatNet programme, Scindia said the initiative, backed by an investment of around USD 15 billion, is aimed at strengthening broadband connectivity across rural India.
He said BharatNet would provide middle-mile connectivity to nearly 2.6 lakh gram panchayats and enable on-demand connectivity to another 3.8 lakh villages across the country.
The Minister also highlighted India’s growing engagement with global telecommunications institutions.
He said the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Council has accepted India’s proposal to host the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in 2030.
Scindia recalled that India hosted the ITU’s World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly in 2024, describing it as the largest WTSA assembly held outside Geneva in the history of the organisation.
He said India’s growing partnership with the GSMA Board would further strengthen the country’s role as a bridge between India and the rest of the world.
Scindia said India’s telecom transformation, expansion of digital infrastructure and growing capabilities in next-generation technologies have created an opportunity for the country to play a larger role in shaping the global digital ecosystem.
-ANI
