India expands rural broadband and targets 1 billion 5G users by 2030
India’s government reported that rural internet penetration rose to 48.31 subscribers per 100 people in 2025‑26 and that the national average fixed‑line broadband speed reached 60.85 Mbps by the end of March 2026 under the National Broadband Mission 2.0. The expanded BharatNet programme has so far laid 43,908 km of optical fibre, upgraded 13,494 Gram Panchayats and connected more than 21.8 million anchor institutions such as schools and health‑centre offices.
Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced that the country’s 5G user base has already reached 50 crore (500 million) people – roughly the total population of Europe – and is slated to double to 100 crore (1 billion) by 2030. He highlighted a 97 % decline in mobile data prices over the past decade, making high‑speed connectivity affordable across the nation. The government is also positioning India to lead the upcoming 6G era, taking part in standard‑setting bodies like the ITU and 3GPP through the Bharat 6G Alliance, and launching a telecom‑manufacturing zone in Gujarat to boost domestic production.
Entities: Bharat 6G Alliance · BharatNet · BharatNet programme · Gwalior telecom manufacturing zone · India · Jyotiraditya Scindia · National Broadband Mission 2.0
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Average fixed broadband download speed in India reached 60.85 Mbps as of 31 Mar 2026. (National Broadband Mission 2.0 report)
- [● 2 SOURCES] India aims to have 1 billion (100 crore) 5G users by 2030. (Articles 2 and 3)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Mobile data prices in India fell from Rs 287 per GB to around Rs 8 per GB, a 97 % drop over the past decade. (Articles 2 and 3)
- [● 2 SOURCES] India is participating in global 6G standard‑setting through the ITU and 3GPP via the Bharat 6G Alliance. (Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scinea)
- [● 2 SOURCES] India’s 5G services have reached 500 million users, equal to Europe’s total population. (Articles 2 and 3)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Rural internet subscriber penetration in India rose to 48.31 % in 2025‑26. (Article 1)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] BharatNet programme had laid 43,908 km of optical fibre and upgraded 13,494 Gram Panchayats by June 2026. (Government update)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] A telecom manufacturing zone was established in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. (Article 3)
- [● 2 SOURCES] India’s 5G user base has reached 50 crore (500 million) people. (Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia)
- [● 2 SOURCES] India aims to have 100 crore (1 billion) 5G users by 2030. (Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Rural internet subscribers in India rose to 48.31 per 100 population in 2025‑26. (Indian government reply to Lok Sabha question)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] A telecom manufacturing zone was established in Gujarat, India. (Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia)