Over 95 Percent of Villages in India Connected With 3G,4G: Communications Ministry

India Achieves 95 Percent Rural Internet Connectivity With 3G,4G: Communications Ministry
As of April 2024, 95.15 percent of villages in India have access to the internet with 3G/4G mobile connectivity, the Ministry of Communications (MoC) said in a statement on Friday. The government emphasised that Universal Connectivity and Digital India initiatives are reaching all areas, including tier-2 and tier-3 cities and villages.

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Digital India Initiative

Under the Digital India Initiative, the government said it has undertaken several initiatives to connect not only metros but also tier-2 and tier-3 cities, as well as rural and remote areas. The Ministry highlighted that the total number of internet subscribers increased from 251.59 million as of March 2014 to 954.40 million in March 2024.

As of March 2024, out of a total of 954.40 million internet subscribers in India, there are 398.35 million rural internet subscribers. Furthermore, as of April 2024, out of 644,131 villages in the country (as per data from the Registrar General of India), 612,952 villages have 3G/4G mobile connectivity. Thus, 95.15 percent of villages have access to the internet, the Communications Ministry explained.

BharatNet Project

Highlighting the BharatNet project, which aims to connect all Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the country with optical fiber cable (OFC) connectivity to provide broadband services to rural households, the Ministry stated that out of a total of 222,000 Gram Panchayats envisioned under the two phases of BharatNet, 213,000 have been made service-ready.

Expansion of Rural Internet Access