Bharat is having a real blast in this tech-ade—from digital transactions to faster 5G deployments and internet access itself. The union government has set an ambitious goal of making all of its citizens netizens by 2025, largely by connecting them through broadband of Bharat Net. Further simplifying cyber-law for ease of business and focusing on high technology like Quantum Computing and Artificial intelligence are also on the agenda.

According to a report by Nokia, the 5G network rollout in India has already turned a corner, and the country is among the top three nations with the world's largest 5G installed base. The recent amendments made in the Right of Way (RoW) rules for telecom infrastructure are set to further expedite the 5G rollout in the country. The latest amendments offer a single application for multiple small cell sites and allow telecoms to set up temporary over-ground telegraph infrastructure when their existing underground infrastructure is damaged. The amendments also offer other relaxations. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), whose members include Reliance Jio, Airtel, Vodafone Idea, etc., commented on the amendments, mentioning that the new provisions would aid in restoring telegraph services on priority, thus preventing major disruptions in services to the users.

According to a report by insights and consulting company Kantar, India will have over 900 million internet users by 2025, driving more than 500 million digital transactions. The report also predicts that more than 87 percent of Indian households will have at least one internet user by 2025. It is beyond any reasonable doubt that telecom operators in India have fantastic days ahead of them. In this special issue, we feature stories from India’s telecom industry. Do let us know your thoughts.