Call rates in India among lowest in world: Telecom minister Scindia

India now has 117 crore mobile connections and 93 crore internet connections, Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday while noting that call rates in the country are one of the lowest in the world.

Scindia said the cost of call for every minute was 53 paisa and it has come down to just 3 paisa now, which is a 93 per cent reduction, one of the lowest rates in the world.

At present, India has 117 crore mobile connectivity and 93 crore internet connections, he said.

He said the cost of one GB data is Rs 9.12, which is cheapest in the world.

The minister said under the Digital India Initiative, various technology-led startups and innovation schemes like Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs (TIDE 2.0), Gen-Next Support for Innovative Startups (GENESIS), domain specific Centres of Excellence (CoEs) and Next Generation Incubation Scheme (NGIS) have been undertaken with a total funding outlay of around Rs 800 crore in tier-2 and tier-3 cities.

"As of March 2024, out of a total internet subscribers of 954.40 million in India there are 398.35 million rural internet subscribers. Further, as of April 2024, out of 6,44,131 villages in the country (villages data as per Registrar General of India), 6,12,952 villages are having 3G/4G mobile connectivity. Thus, 95.15 per cent villages are having access to internet," he said.

The total internet subscribers in the country have increased from 251.59 million as on March 2014 to 954.40 million in March 2024 at compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.26 per cent.