India’s mobile ecosystem is transitioning from connectivity to becoming a strategic layer of national digital infrastructure, enabling AI diffusion, enterprise productivity, resilient digital public infrastructure (DPI), secure digital transactions, and sustainable operator investment. This shift is driven by the need for the next wave of India’s digital economy to be driven by productivity, trust, automation, intelligence, and resilience, rather than just consumer internet adoption.
The report outlines three priority areas for this transition:
- AI-Ready Networks and Future Infrastructure: AI can be used to make networks more intelligent, efficient, and secure (AI for telecom), while telecom networks are essential for enabling and accelerating AI adoption across the wider economy (telecom for AI). India needs high-capacity, resilient connectivity, cloud and edge connectivity, enterprise-grade network capabilities, trusted network intelligence, and investment certainty to support its AI ambitions.
- Enterprise Digitisation and Monetisation: Operators can move beyond consumer connectivity by offering fixed wireless access (FWA), enterprise connectivity, private networks, network APIs, and cybersecurity services. These services can support various use cases across industries, leading to increased productivity and new revenue streams for operators.
- DPI, Digital Trust, and Secure Digital Growth: Telecom can play a key role in strengthening digital trust and security for DPI. Network-enabled risk signals can complement existing authentication methods and support scam prevention and cross-sector coordination. However, trust services must be carefully governed to protect privacy and avoid disproportionate surveillance.
The report emphasizes the need for policy coordination across different domains like telecom, AI, cybersecurity, and data protection to avoid fragmented governance and to align national digital ambitions. It recommends that the government recognize telecom networks as strategic digital infrastructure, provide investment certainty, and support the development of enterprise and API ecosystems. The report concludes by calling for a new compact between government and industry to build a more productive, inclusive, secure, and competitive Digital India.
