India Set to Become World’s Data Capital in 5 Years, Says Scindia

Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday that India is poised to become the world’s data capital within five years.

At the CII Annual Business Summit 2025, Scindia stated that India is recognised globally as a digital-first economy, driven by a telecom revolution. "I believe India will become the world's data capital within the next five years," he said.

The minister highlighted that India’s telecom subscriber base has surged from 800 million a decade ago to 1.2 billion, making it the world’s second-largest mobile market. He also noted that the broadband user base has expanded to 940 million.

Scindia noted that connectivity costs and handset prices have dropped significantly, reminiscing about the times when call tariffs were as high as Rs 16 per minute.

The minister said, "Eleven years ago, 1 GB of data cost Rs 287. Today, it’s just Rs 9, a 97% drop in communication costs."

Globally, India’s data communication cost is just 5% of the world average.

Also Read: India’s Monthly Data Usage Surges to 27.5GB in 2024, Driven by 5G Expansion