New Delhi: India’s internet connections reached 102.86 crore in 2026, up from 25.15 crore in 2014, according to government data released Monday. Broadband connections stood at 99.56 crore as of December 2025, the data showed.
Digital infrastructure
Average monthly data consumption rose to 24.01 GB by December 2025, while data costs fell to ₹8-10 per GB over the same period, as per government figures.
“The rapid expansion of optical fibre networks created the backbone for high-speed connectivity. Optical fibre coverage increased from 19.35 lakh route kilometres in 2019 to 42.36 lakh route kilometres in 2025. This expansion improved internet access, network reliability, and digital connectivity across urban and rural India. India also achieved one of the world’s fastest 5G rollouts, with services reaching 99.9% of districts. Improved digital infrastructure accelerated internet adoption nationwide,” said the release.
Semiconductors
Under the India Semiconductor Mission, 12 projects worth around ₹1.64 lakh crore have been approved as of June 2026, comprising one semiconductor fab, two compound semiconductor fabs and nine packaging units. The Union Budget 2026-27 announced an initial outlay of ₹1,000 crore for ISM 2.0 for FY27.
Under the Design Linked Incentive Scheme, 24 companies had received fiscal support and 105 applicants had received EDA tools support as of March 2026, with seven chips fabricated from 16 tape-outs, including 12 nm designs, the data showed.
AI and computing
India had around 1.8 lakh startups as of March 2026, with nearly 89% of new startups using AI solutions, according to government figures. The AI Kosh platform hosts 12,115 datasets and 306 AI models across 20 sectors.
The India AI Impact Summit 2026 drew delegations from over 100 countries and 20 international organisations, with nearly 15 lakh participants, and catalysed over USD 200 billion in AI-related investment commitments. The summit declaration was adopted by 92 countries and organisations.
Cloud, data centres and biotech
Adoption of the government’s MeghRaj cloud platform rose to 2,323 departments as of June 2026, from 342 in 2015-16. India’s data centre capacity grew to nearly 1,500 MW by 2025, up from about 375 MW in 2020. India’s biotechnology sector reached USD 190 billion as of June 2026, as per government data.
Skilling and global capability centres
FutureSkills PRIME had more than 27.53 lakh registered candidates as of March 2026, with over 17.14 lakh completing training, and around 80% from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. India now hosts over 2,100 Global Capability Centres across 3,728 units, employing around 2.36 million professionals, government data showed.
