Summary:
The government informed Parliament that rural internet penetration in India increased to 48.31 subscribers per 100 people during 2025-26, while average fixed broadband speeds under the National Broadband Mission (NBM) 2.0 reached 60.85 Mbps. Broadband connectivity to schools, health centres, Anganwadis, and Panchayat offices also expanded significantly. Through the revised BharatNet programme and other Digital Bharat Nidhi initiatives, the government is extending fibre connectivity, improving telecom infrastructure in rural and remote areas, reducing Right of Way approval timelines, and promoting sustainable telecom infrastructure to accelerate nationwide digital inclusion.
Rural internet access in India continued to improve during 2025-26, with internet penetration in rural areas increasing to 48.31 subscribers per 100 people, up from 45.03, the government informed Parliament on Wednesday.
In a written response to the Lok Sabha, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia said that under the National Broadband Mission (NBM) 2.0, the country’s average fixed broadband download speed reached 60.85 Mbps as of March 31, 2026. Broadband connectivity to key public institutions—including schools, Primary Health Centres, Anganwadis, and Panchayat offices—also expanded to 2,182,312 connections. Launched on January 17, 2025, and implemented from April 1, 2025, NBM 2.0 is focused on accelerating digital infrastructure development, narrowing the digital and socio-economic gap, and delivering high-speed broadband nationwide.
BharatNet Programme Expansion
The minister stated that the revised BharatNet programme aims to extend optical fibre connectivity to nearly 2.65 lakh Gram Panchayats and around 3.8 lakh non-Gram Panchayat villages based on demand. It also includes incentives to support 1.5 crore rural fibre broadband connections. “Under the Amended BharatNet Programme, provision has been made for optical fibre connectivity to approximately 2.65 lakh Gram Panchayats (GPs) and approximately 3.8 lakh non-GP villages on a demand basis across the country,” the reply noted.
By June 2026, work under the updated BharatNet programme had resulted in the laying of 43,908 km of optical fibre cable and the upgradation of 13,494 Gram Panchayats.
Strengthening Rural Digital Infrastructure
According to the government, BharatNet, the 4G Saturation Project, mobile tower deployment schemes, and other Digital Bharat Nidhi-supported initiatives are helping expand broadband infrastructure and improve telecom services in rural, remote, forested, and previously unconnected regions.
Enhancing Operational Efficiency
The government also reported significant improvements in processing Right of Way (RoW) applications. The average approval time fell from 80.63 days in 2024-25 to 35.62 days in 2025-26. During the same period, the share of mobile towers powered by sustainable energy increased from 8% to 11.44%.
Additionally, all 36 States and Union Territories have now been integrated with the centralised Right of Way portal, enabling a uniform digital system for submitting, processing, and approving RoW applications across the country.
