📡 Digital Infrastructure & Innovation

📲 India’s Telecom Leap – New Initiatives for a Safer, Smarter, and Connected Nation

In a significant push for digital empowerment, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia recently launched a series of transformative telecom initiatives aimed at improving connectivity, security, and accessibility across India.
The rollout includes the Sanchar Saathi Mobile App, National Broadband Mission (NBM) 2.0, and Intra Circle Roaming (ICR)—each designed to promote a digitally inclusive society and protect citizens in an evolving cyber landscape.

📱 Sanchar Saathi Mobile App – Empowering Every Smartphone User

• Aimed at boosting telecom security and empowering users
• Available on Android and iOS, targeting over 90 crore users
• Key features:
  • Report SIM fraud
  • Block lost/stolen devices
  • Verify handset authenticity
  • Manage multiple mobile connections linked to a single ID

This app is a citizen-first initiative, tackling telecom fraud with real-time solutions.

🌐 National Broadband Mission (NBM) 2.0

• Aims to connect 1.7 lakh villages by 2030
• Builds on NBM 1.0’s achievement of 8 lakh telecom towers
• Targets:
  • Minimum 100 Mbps broadband speed
  • 90% connectivity for anchor institutions like schools and hospitals
• Envisions a digitally empowered rural India

NBM 2.0 is a step toward bridging the digital divide with future-ready infrastructure.

🤝 Intra Circle Roaming (ICR) – Collaborating for Rural Connectivity

• Allows BSNL, Airtel, and Reliance to share infrastructure at DBN-funded 4G sites
• Covers over 35,400 rural villages
• Benefits:
  • Seamless 4G access in underserved areas
  • Lower capital expenditure for telecom providers
  • Optimised use of existing infrastructure

This collaborative approach ensures reliable connectivity where it’s needed most.

🔐 Strengthening Cybersecurity

• Under the Sanchar Saathi umbrella, major wins include:
  • 2.75 crore fraudulent connections disconnected
  • Over 25 lakh lost/stolen devices secured
  • 90% of spoofed international calls blocked via the Incoming Spoofed Call Prevention System

India’s telecom security is becoming proactive, intelligent, and user-centric.

🧩 Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration

• Supported by:
  • Central ministries
  • State governments
  • Telecom service providers
• Focused on:
  • Streamlining processes
  • Upholding regulatory compliance
  • Creating effective, inclusive frameworks

🔁 Achievements of NBM 1.0 (2019–2024)

• Expanded optical fibre networks
• Broadband subscriptions reached 941 million
• Introduced “Call Before u Dig” app to protect underground infrastructure
• Helped resolve Right of Way (RoW) issues across states

NBM 1.0 laid the foundation for digital expansion—NBM 2.0 builds on it with smarter, scalable strategies.

🌅 Vision for Viksit Bharat 2047

These initiatives align with India’s aspiration for a developed and connected nation by 2047:

• Tech-powered socio-economic growth
• A secure, resilient digital ecosystem
• Empowerment of every citizen, from urban centres to rural hamlets

🕯️ In every byte of connectivity lies a brighter future for a billion dreams.