India will become world's data capital in next five years: Scindia

India is set to become the data capital of the world over the next five years, Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday.

Speaking at the CII Annual Business Summit 2025, Scindia said India is seen as a digital-first economy across the world. Leading this digital-first economy is the telecom revolution.

"India, I believe, in the next five years, will become the data capital of the world," Scindia said.

The minister said that the telecom subscriber base has jumped from 800 million a decade ago to a level where India is now the second largest mobile market with 1.2 billion subscribers. The broadband user base has grown to 940 million, he added.

At the same time, the connectivity costs and handset prices have fallen drastically, Scindia said, recalling the days when tariffs were as high as Rs 16 per minute.

"When we talk about data, 11 years ago, 1 GB of data would cost you Rs 287. Today, 1 GB of data costs you Rs 9. There is a 97 per cent reduction in the cost of communication," the minister said.

Globally, India's cost of data communication is at 5 per cent of the world's average.