As of December 2025, 214,904 Gram Panchayats (GPs) are service-ready with broadband connectivity under the BharatNet project. Additionally, 23,694 mobile towers have been commissioned under the 4G Saturation Project and other mobile projects. The government has adopted Quality of Service (QoS) benchmarks issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and other global standards to monitor telecom service provider performance. The Telecommunications Act 2023 has been implemented to promote regulatory ease. The Digital Bharat Nidhi (formerly the Universal Service Obligation Fund) has been created to provide financial support for telecom services in rural and remote areas. This information was released by PIB Delhi on February 5, 2026, at 3:43 PM. Release ID: 2223776, Visitor Counter: 220.
Key Entities Referenced
Telecommunications Act 2023: Law implemented for regulatory ease in the telecom sector.
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI): Authority that issues Quality of Service (QoS) benchmarks for telecom services.
Digital Bharat Nidhi (formerly Universal Service Obligation Fund): Fund for providing financial support to establish telecom services in unviable rural areas.
BharatNet project: Project providing broadband connectivity to Gram Panchayats.
Ministry of Communications: The ministry under which the information was released.
Ministry of Communications
Last-mile Digital Connectivity
Posted On: 05 FEB 2026 3:43PM by PIB Delhi
Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development Dr Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar in a written
reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today said that for expanding high-speed broadband and mobile
connectivity in rural, border, and aspirational districts, a number of steps & flagship projects have been
taken up by the Government. As of Dec-2025; 2,14,904 Gram Panchayats (GPs) have been made service
ready with broadband connectivity under BharatNet project and 23,694 mobile towers have been
commissioned under 4G Saturation Project and other Mobile projects in the country.
Improved digital connectivity has significantly contributed to better access to education, healthcare, and
government services, particularly by bridging geographical gaps in remote and underserved areas. Digital
transformation has fundamentally altered how citizens interact with essential services.
To ensure quality of telecom services, Quality of Service (QoS) benchmarks issued by Telecom
Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and other global standards/practices have been adopted and
performance of telecom service providers against these benchmarks is regularly monitored.
Further, to make telecom services affordable across regions, the Government has taken many steps
including proactive policies, implementing the Telecommunications Act 2023 for regulatory ease, creation
of Digital Bharat Nidhi (formerly Universal Service Obligation Fund) for providing financial support for
establishing, operating, and maintaining telecom services in commercially unviable rural and remote areas
etc.
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MI/ARJ
(Release ID: 2223776) Visitor Counter : 220
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