India largest 'connected' nation with over 800 mn broadband users: MoS IT

India has become the largest 'connected' nation in the world with 800 million users, Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar has said.

Speaking at the India Internet Governance Forum 2022 (IIGF2022), the minister said that 5G and the largest rural broadband connectivity network project at BharatNet will have 1.2 billion Indian users constituting the single largest presence of the global internet.

"We also expect further technological innovations as well as updated regulatory policies to remain relevant. The deep involvement by all stakeholders will be the third leg of this 'Global Standard Cyber Law Framework' that, we hope, will catalyse the Indian Internet and the economy," Chandrasekhar told the gathering at the three-day event in the national capital on Sunday.

The IIGF2022 brought together all stakeholders in the global Internet governance ecosystem, including government, industry, civil society and academia.

"We are looking at building laws which ensure the privacy, protection, data, security and safety of our citizens. We are also looking at how to create a trillion-dollar digital economy in the next three years," said Alkesh Kumar Sharma, Secretary, MeitY.

The event focused on discussing the roadmap to digitisation and reaffirming India as an essential participant on the global stage by highlighting its role and importance in international policy development on Internet governance.

The India Internet Government Forum is an initiative associated with the UN Internet Governance Forum (UN-IGF).

--IANS

na/dpb