Internet in India

Internet in India began in 1986 and was initially available only to the educational and research
community. General public access to the internet in India began on 15 August 1995. By 2023,
India had more than 900 million Internet users.[1] It is reported that in 2022 an average mobile
Internet consumption in India was 19.5 GB per month and the mobile data usage per month rose
from 4.5 exabytes in 2018 to 14.4 exabytes in 2022.[2][3]

As of February 2024, the Internet is delivered to India mainly by 17 different undersea fibres,
including SEA-ME-WE 3, Bay of Bengal Gateway and Europe India Gateway, arriving at 5 different
landing points.[4] In 2022, it was reported that India is also a potential market of Starlink.[5] And
apart from having one overland internet connection at the city of Agartala near the border with
Bangladesh, India has also established a 2,300-kilometre undersea cable to its Andaman and
Nicobar archipelago in 2020 and a 1,868 kilometre undersea cable to Lakshadweep islands to
increase internet connectivity.[6][7]

The Indian Government has embarked on projects such as BharatNet, Digital India, Brand India,
PM WANI and Startup India to further expedite the growth of internet-based ecosystems.

Reliance has started the project of underlying submarine cable connecting continents of Europe
and Asia and keeping India its centre India-Europe-Xpress (IEX) and India-Asia-Xpress (IAX) - the
world's largest submarine cable system, are said to be ready between 2023 and 2024.[8]

There are now over 850 million Internet users in India, according to the latest data from the
Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).

History

While early computer networks were operated since the late 1970s by the Oil and Natural Gas
Corporation, the military,[9] along with general-use computer networks such as INDONET, NICNET,
and VIKRAM,[10] the history of the Internet in India began with the launch of the Educational
Research Network (ERNET) in 1986.[11] The network was made available only to educational and
research communities.[12] ERNET was initiated by the Department of Electronics (DoE), with
funding from the Government of India and United Nations Development Program (UNDP),
involving eight premier institutions as participating agencies—NCST Bombay, Indian Institute of
Science, five Indian Institutes of Technology (Delhi, Mumbai, Kanpur, Kharagpur and Chennai),
and the DoE in New Delhi. ERNET began as a multi protocol network with both the TCP/IP and
the OSI-IP protocol stacks running over the leased-line portion of the backbone. Since 1995,
however, almost all traffic is carried over TCP/IP.[13] The first leased line of 9.6 kbit/s was
installed in January 1991 between Delhi and Mumbai. ERNET was allotted Class B IP address
144.16.0.0 by NIC (then InterNIC) in 1990. Subsequently, Class C addresses were allotted to
ERNET by APNIC. All IITs, IISc Bangalore, DOE Delhi and NCST Mumbai were connected by
9.6 kbit/s leased line by 1992. In the same year, 64 kbit/s Internet gateway link was
commissioned from NCST Mumbai to UUNet in Virginia, United States. NICNet was established
in 1995 for communications between government institutions. The network was operated by the
National Informatics Centre.[12]

The first publicly available internet service in India was launched by state-owned Videsh Sanchar
Nigam Limited (VSNL) on 15 August 1995.[14][15] At the time, VSNL had a monopoly over
international communications in the country and private enterprise was not permitted in the
sector. The internet service, known as the Gateway Internet Access Service (GIAS), provided a
speed of 9.6 kbit/s speed and was priced at ₹5,200 for 250 hours for individuals, ₹16,200 for
institutional dial-up SLIP/PPP accounts, and higher for leased line services.[16]

However, for the next 10 years, the Internet experience in the country remained less attractive,
with narrow-band connections having speeds less than 56 kbit/s (dial-up).[17][18]

Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) access was introduced in 1997.[18]

In 2004, the government formulated its broadband policy, which defined broadband as "an
always-on Internet connection with a download speed of 256 kbit/s or above."[17] From 2005
onward, the growth of the broadband sector in the country accelerated but remained below the
growth estimates of the government and related agencies due to resource issues in last-mile
access, which were predominantly wired-line technologies. This bottleneck was removed in 2010
when the government auctioned the 3G spectrum, followed by an equally high-profile auction of
4G spectrum, that set the scene for a competitive and invigorated wireless broadband market.
5G drives India's internet speed, ranking up 72 places, ahead of many G20 countries.[19] After the
launch of Reliance Jio in 2016, Internet data rates dropped considerably, and telecom companies
expanded their fiber optic networks in competition. Today, internet access in India is provided by
both public and private companies using a variety of technologies and media, including dial-up
(PSTN), xDSL, coaxial cable, Ethernet, FTTH, ISDN, HSDPA (3G), Wi-Fi, WiMAX, etc., at a wide
range of speeds and costs.[20]

2020 marks a new era of Internet In India. With the formalisation and launch of PM WANI (Prime
Minister Wi-Fi Access Network Interface) policy India, aimed at enhancing the proliferation of
public Wi-Fi hotspots across the country. The primary goal is to increase internet connectivity,
especially in rural areas, by creating a robust digital communications infrastructure. It is
designed to function in a decentralized manner, with Public Data Offices (PDOs) operating,
maintaining, and delivering broadband services to subscribers through Wi-Fi access points or
routers. This policy has been leveraged by various projects across India to enhance public Wi-Fi
access, create jobs and business and help increase the Internet penetration.[21]
Technologies

Overview

Wired Internet access

technologies by usage
share as of 30 September
2023.
Fibre (87.03%)
Ethernet/LAN (7.54%)
DSL (2.86%)
Cable modem (1.87%)
Leased line (0.67%)
Dial up (0.01%)

Wireless Internet access

technologies by usage
share as of 30 September
2023.
LTE (82.94%)
5G (11.34%)
GPRS/EDGE (3.74%)
HSPA/WCDMA (1.87%)
Wi-Fi (0.1%)
Radio/Wi-Max/VSAT (0.09%)
Wireless Internet

The following frequencies are used to provide wireless Internet services in India:[22]

2G : GSM 900 MHz, GSM 1800 MHz

3G : WCDMA UMTS 2100 MHz, 900 MHz

4G : TD-LTE 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, FD-LTE 2100 MHz, 1800 MHz, 900 MHz, 850 MHz

CDMA : 800 MHz (for 1x voice and data & EVDO Rev A, Rev B, Rev B Phase II data)

5G :[23]

Wired Internet

Fixed-line or wired Internet technologies used in India include digital subscriber line, (DSL), Dial-
up Internet access, Ethernet and local area network (LAN), Cable modem, fibre to the home, and
leased line.[24]

All india conference 74th application in our country under

publication

In 2004, the government formulated its broadband policy which defined broadband as "an
always-on Internet connection with download speed of 256 kbit/s or above."[17] The definition
was amended in July 2013 defining broadband as a "data connection that supports interactive
services, including internet access, capable of a minimum download speed of 256 kbps to an
individual subscriber."[25][26] The minimum download speed was officially raised from 256 kbit/s
to 512 kbit/s in August 2014.[27]

On September 1, 2021, TRAI increased the minimum broadband speed to 2 Mbit/s.[28] The
regulator announced that broadband would now be defined as "an always-on data connection,
provided over fixed or wireless infrastructure, that is able to support multiple information and
interactive services such as Internet access and on-demand video and offers a minimum
downlink and uplink speed of 2 Mbps to an individual subscriber from the point of presence
(POP) of the service provider intending to provide the broadband service.".[29]

The worldwide broadband speed league ranked India 74th out of 221 countries with a mean
download speed of 47.99 Mbit/s as of 30 June 2023.[30] According to the Akamai Q1 2017 State
of the Internet Report, the average internet connection speed in India is 6.5 Mbit/s and the
average peak connection speed is 41.4 Mbit/s. Globally, India was ranked 89th out of 149
countries/regions by average internet connection speed and 97th by average peak connection
speed. 42% of internet users in India have an average internet connection speed of above
4 Mbit/s, 19% have a speed of over 10 Mbit/s, and 10% enjoy speeds over 15 Mbit/s. At the
average or population in our country to distribute the internet connection.

According to the November 2023 Speedtest Global Index, published by Speedtest.net, India was
ranked 18th out of 145 countries by median mobile Internet speed and 87th out of 181 countries
by median fixed broadband speed. The median fixed broadband download speed in India is
58.62 Mbit/s, and the median fixed broadband upload speed is 50.42 Mbit/s. Speedtest recorded
the median download speed on mobile connections in India as 94.62 Mbit/s and the median
upload speed as 9.02 Mbit/s.[31]

Internet user base

India has the second highest number of Internet users in the world.[32] The following table
provides an overview of Internet subscriber statistics in India as on 30 September 2023.[24]

Statistic Figures

Total subscribers 918.19 million

Narrowband subscribers 33.19 million

Broadband subscribers 885 million

Wired subscribers 37.11 million

Wireless subscribers 881.08 million

Urban subscribers 542.53 million

Rural subscribers 375.66 million

Overall net penetration 65.89%

Urban net penetration 110.03%

Rural net penetration 41.72%

The World Economic Forum (WEF) estimated that about 60% of Indian internet users viewed
vernacular content and only about a quarter of internet users were over the age of 35 years in
2019. The WEF also estimated that 1.1 billion Indians would have access to the Internet by 2030,
with 80% of the subscriber base primarily accessing the Internet on mobile devices. The profile of
India's internet user base was predicted to diversify by 2030 with 80% of users accessing
vernacular content and with users over 25 years making up 45% of the total subscriber base.[33]
There is also a digital gender gap with far more male Internet users in the country compared to
female users. The gap is more pronounced in rural hinterlands compared to urban metros.[34]

Access to the Internet can be divided into dial-up and broadband access. Around the start of the
21st century, most residential access was by dial-up, while access from businesses was usually
by higher speed connections. In subsequent years dial-up declined in favour of broadband
access. Both types of access generally use a modem, which converts digital data to analog for
transmission over a particular analog network (ex. the telephone or cable networks).[35]

Dial-up access is a connection to the Internet through a phone line, creating a semi-permanent
link to the Internet.[35] Operating on a single channel, it monopolizes the phone line and is the
slowest method of accessing the Internet. Dial-up is often the only form of Internet access
available in rural areas because it requires no infrastructure other than the already existing
telephone network. Dial-up connections typically do not exceed a speed of 56 kbit/s, because
they are primarily made via a 56k modem.[35]

Broadband access includes a wide range of speeds and technologies, all of which provide much
faster access to the Internet than dial-up. The term "broadband" once had a technical meaning,
but today it is more often a marketing buzzword that simply means "faster". Broadband
connections are continuous or "always on" connections, without the need to dial and hang-up,
and do not monopolize phone lines.[35] Common types of broadband access include DSL (Digital
Subscriber Lines), Fibre to the x (Optical fibre network), Cable Internet access, Satellite Internet
access, mobile broadband via cell phones and other mobile devices among many others.[36]

Internet service providers

There were 1151 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offering broadband and narrowband services
in India as on 30 September 2023. The ten largest ISPs account for 98.82% of the total
subscriber base. Jio (49.99%), Airtel (30.16%), Vodafone Idea (14.94%), BSNL (3.06%) and Atria
Convergence Technologies (0.24%) were the five largest ISPs by subscribers in India as on 30
September 2023.[24]

As on 30 September 2023, the five largest wired broadband providers in India are Jio (26.28%),
Airtel (18.93%), BSNL (10.08%), Atria Convergence Technologies (5.92%), Hathway (3.01%). Other
wired ISPs account for the remaining 35.78% of subscribers. The five largest wireless broadband
providers are Jio (50.98%), Airtel (30.63%), Vodafone Idea (15.57%), BSNL (2.77%) and Intech
Online Pvt. Ltd (0.03%).[24]

The telecom circles of Maharashtra (78.36 million), Uttar Pradesh (73.59 million), Bihar (69.89
million), Andhra Pradesh (68.38 million), and Madhya Pradesh (62.85 million) have the most
internet subscribers as on 30 September 2023.[24]

The total international Internet bandwidth owned by Indian ISPs was 42,133 Gbit/s as on 30
September 2023.[24] International bandwidth is the maximum rate of data transmission from a
single country to the rest of the world.[37]
Broadband subscribers

Market share of broadband

(wired + wireless) services
in India as of 31 December
2023 according to the
Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India (TRAI)[38]
Jio (51.98%)
Airtel (29.27%)
Vi (14.07%)
BSNL (2.78%)
ACT (0.25%)
Others (1.65%)

The following table shows the top 5 broadband (Wired and Wireless) service providers in India by
total subscriber base as of 31 December 2023.

Operator Subscribers[38] (million) Ownership

Jio 470.19 Jio Platforms

Airtel 264.76 Bharti Airtel

Vi 127.29 Vodafone Idea Limited

BSNL 25.12 Government of India

ACT 2.23 Atria Convergence

Kerala Vision Broadband Ltd 1.20 Kerala Vision

The following table shows the top 5 Wired broadband service providers in India by total
subscriber base as of 31 December 2023.
 Provider Subscribers[38] (million) Ownership

Jio 10.38 Jio Platforms

Airtel 7.39 Bharti Airtel

BSNL 3.83 Government of India

ACT 2.23 Atria Convergence

Kerala Vision Broadband Ltd 1.20 Kerala Vision

The following table shows the top 5 Wireless broadband service providers in India by total
subscriber base as of 31 December 2023.

Provider Subscribers[38] (million) Ownership

Jio 459.81 Jio Platforms

Airtel 257.37 Bharti Airtel

Vi[a][39][40] 127.28[a] Vodafone Idea Limited

BSNL[b][41] 21.28[c][41] Government of India

Net neutrality

During August 2015, there were no laws governing net neutrality in India, which would require
that all Internet users be treated equally, without discriminating or charging differentially by user,
content, site, platform, application, type of attached equipment, or mode of communication.[42]
There had already been a few violations of net neutrality principles by some Indian service
providers.[43] The government had once again called in for comments and suggestions regarding
net neutrality on 14 August, and had given the people one day to post their views on the MyGov
forum. After this, the final decision regarding the debate was to be made.

The debate on network neutrality in India gathered public attention after Airtel, a mobile
telephony service provider in India, announced in December 2014 additional charges for making
voice calls (VoIP) from its network using apps like WhatsApp, Skype, etc.[44]

On 27 March 2015, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released a formal consultation
paper on Regulatory Framework for Over-the-top (OTT) services, seeking comments from the
public.[45] The consultation paper was criticised for being one sided and having confusing
statements. It received condemnation from various politicians and Indian Internet users.[46][47][48]
The last date for submission of comment was 24 April 2015 and TRAI received over a million
emails.[49]

On 8 February 2016, TRAI took a revolutionary decision, prohibiting telecom service providers
from levying discriminatory rates for data,[50] thus ruling in favour of Net Neutrality in India. This
move was welcomed not just by millions of Indians but also by various political parties,
businesspersons, industry leaders,[51] and the inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners
Lee.[52]

Censorship

Internet censorship in India is selectively practised by both federal and state governments. DNS
filtering and educating service users on better usage is an active strategy and government policy
to regulate and block access to Internet content on a large scale. Measures to remove content at
the request of content creators through court orders have become more common in recent
years.

Freedom House's Freedom on the Net 2016 report gives India a Freedom on the Net status of
"Partly Free" with a rating of 41 (0-100 scale, lower is better). Its Obstacles to Access was rated
12 (0-25 scale), Limits on Content was rated 9 (0-35 scale) and Violations of User Rights was
rated 20 (0-40 scale).[53] India was ranked 29th out of the 65 countries included in the report.[54]

In the 2022 report], the rating was increased from 41 to 51 (lower is better). Its Obstacles to
Access were rated 13 (0-25 scale), Limits on Content was 21 (0-32 scale) and Violations of User
Rights was 17 (0-40 scale). India was ranked 37th out of 70 countries rated in the report.[55]

Ratings of India (from Freedom on the Net reports)

Rating category (lower is better) 2016 Report[54] 2022 Report[55] Change in rating (lower is better)

Overall (0-100) 41 51 +10

Obstacles to Access (0-25) 12 13 +1

Limits on Content (0-35) 9 21 +11

Violations of User Rights (0-40) 20 17 -3

Challenges

The Internet penetration rate in India is medium and accounts for 52.4% of the population
compared to the global average which is around 66%.[56][57][58]

Another issue is the digital divide where growth is biased in favour of urban areas; according to
2010 statistics, more than 75 per cent of the broadband connections in the country are in the top
30 cities.[17] Regulators have tried to boost the growth of broadband in rural areas by promoting
higher investment in rural infrastructure and establishing subsidised tariffs for rural subscribers
under the Universal service obligation scheme of the Indian government.
E-commerce industry

Number of Indian consumers who were expected to purchase something online in 2018: 120
million.

Number of Indian consumers who were expected to purchase something online in 2020: 175
million.

Number of Indian consumers who were expected to purchase something online in 2021: 289.1
million.[59]

Number of Indian consumers who were expected to purchase something online in last 2022:
312.5 million.[59]

Indian e-commerce industry net income in 2017: ₹2.46 trillion.

Indian e-commerce industry net income estimated in 2018: ₹3.02 trillion.

Indian e-commerce industry net income in 2019 proved the improvement of the socio-
economy that it has attracted ₹2.58 trillion in only 6 early months of the year.

Data centers

BSNL Internet Data Centers, in collaboration with Dimension Data[60]

Trimax IT Infrastructure & Services Limited – Tier III data centers in Mumbai and Bengaluru[61]

Airlive Broadband

aerloop Broadband

Web Werks Data Centers

Sify Technologies Limited

CtrlS Datacenters Ltd

Tata Communications Limited

Netmagic Solutions

Reliance Datacenter

Web Werks IDC

Net4 Datacenter

RackBank Datacenter

GPX Global Systems Inc.

 CTRLS Data Center

MegaHostZone

Digital Ocean

HostFe - HFE INTERNET & DATACENTERS

HostRain

Amazon Web Services[62]

Google Cloud[63]

Impact of COVID-19 on the Internet in India

According to the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), internet traffic in India
increased by 30% during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A study by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) found that the number
of Indians using the internet for education increased by 50% during the pandemic.

A study by the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM Ahmedabad) found that the
number of Indians using the internet for healthcare increased by 60% during the pandemic.

A study by the World Economic Forum found that India was one of the countries where the
internet played the biggest role in helping people cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Internet Exchanges

NIXI

Mumbai Convergence Hub

Mumbai IX

AMS IX

DE-CIX

AMR-IX

See also

India portal

Internet portal

Technology portal

Internet Freedom Foundation

 National Optical Fibre Network

Internet censorship in India

Over-the-top media services in India

Media of India

Telecommunications in India

List of countries by number of Internet users

List of sovereign states by number of broadband Internet subscriptions

List of sovereign states by Internet connection speeds

Notes

a. After adding subscribers of You Broadband Because it is subsidiary of Vi.

b. BSNL and MTNL merger approved by Government of India.

c. After adding subscribers of MTNL to BSNL, because MTNL will merge with BSNL.

References

1. Basuroy, Tanushree (December 19, 2023). "Internet usage in India - statistics & facts,"
Statista, https://www.statista.com/topics/2157/internet-usage-in-india/

2. "One Indian mobile user now consuming 19.5GB data on average a month" (https://economi
ctimes.indiatimes.com/industry/telecom/telecom-news/one-indian-mobile-user-now-consu
ming-19-5gb-data-on-average-a-month/articleshow/97973759.cms) . The Economic Times.
16 February 2023. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20230319091037/https://econo
mictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/telecom/telecom-news/one-indian-mobile-user-now-con
suming-19-5gb-data-on-average-a-month/articleshow/97973759.cms) from the original
on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.

3. Bureau, The Hindu (22 June 2022). "$1-trillion scope for digital economy: PM Modi" (https://
www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-expecting-75-economic-growth-rate-this-year-pm-
modi-at-brics-summit/article65553837.ece) . The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X (https://search.
worldcat.org/issn/0971-751X) . Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20230319092352/
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-expecting-75-economic-growth-rate-this-ye
ar-pm-modi-at-brics-summit/article65553837.ece) from the original on 19 March 2023.
Retrieved 19 March 2023. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
 4. archit_tandon (13 February 2024). "India secures its burgeoning submarine cables industry"
(https://www.communicationstoday.co.in/india-secures-its-burgeoning-submarine-cables-in
dustry/) . Communications Today. Retrieved 10 March 2024.

5. Rathee, Kiran (18 October 2022). "india starlink: SpaceX seeks DoT permit to launch Starlink
in India" (https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/spacex-seeks-dot-permit
-to-launch-starlink-in-india/articleshow/94931439.cms) . The Economic Times. Archived (ht
tps://web.archive.org/web/20221226134657/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/
technology/spacex-seeks-dot-permit-to-launch-starlink-in-india/articleshow/94931439.cm
s) from the original on 26 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.

6. Krishnan, Revathi (7 August 2020). "2,300-km undersea cable to boost Andamans internet
connectivity, PM set to launch project" (https://theprint.in/india/2300-km-undersea-cable-to-
boost-andamans-internet-connectivity-pm-set-to-launch-project/476663/) . ThePrint.
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20221224105355/https://theprint.in/india/2300-km
-undersea-cable-to-boost-andamans-internet-connectivity-pm-set-to-launch-project/47666
3/) from the original on 24 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.

7. "PM inaugurates Kochi-Lakshadweep Islands Submarine Optical Fibre Connection" (https://

pib.gov.in/pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1992734) . pib.gov.in. Retrieved
10 March 2024.

8. Vishnoi, Anubhuti (23 November 2022). "reliance: Reliance gets green approval for World's
largest submarine cable" (https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/telecom/teleco
m-news/reliance-gets-green-approval-for-worlds-largest-submarine-cable/articleshow/9569
6608.cms) . The Economic Times. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/2022122506075
0/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/telecom/telecom-news/reliance-gets-gr
een-approval-for-worlds-largest-submarine-cable/articleshow/95696608.cms) from the
original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.

9. Rau, P. Raghavendra; Rao, H. Raghav. "INDONET: A Public Service Data Network in India" (htt
ps://flora.insead.edu/fichiersti_wp/Inseadwp1993/93-18.pdf) (PDF). Institut Européen
d'Administration des Affaires. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20221110011415/htt
ps://flora.insead.edu/fichiersti_wp/Inseadwp1993/93-18.pdf) (PDF) from the original on
10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal
requires |journal= (help)

10. Arora, Jagdish; Kaur, Sharan Pal; Chandra, Harish; Bhatt, R.K. "Computer Communication
Networks: Use of Modern Information Technologies for Information Retrieval &
Dissemination" (http://web.simmons.edu/~chen/nit/NIT%2792/013-aro.htm) . Indian
Institute of Technology. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20220618092154/http://we
b.simmons.edu/~chen/nit/NIT%2792/013-aro.htm) from the original on 18 June 2022.
Retrieved 10 November 2022.
11. Ramani, Srinivasan (14 August 2015). "The story of how the Internet came to India: An
insider's account" (https://www.news18.com/news/tech/the-story-of-how-the-internet-cam
e-to-india-an-insiders-account-1039533.html) . News18. Archived (https://web.archive.org/
web/20190514131333/https://www.news18.com/news/tech/the-story-of-how-the-internet-
came-to-india-an-insiders-account-1039533.html) from the original on 14 May 2019.
Retrieved 14 May 2019.

12. "20 years of Internet in India: On August 15, 1995 public Internet access was launched in
India" (http://www.news18.com/news/tech/20-years-of-internet-in-india-on-august-15-1995-
public-internet-access-was-launched-in-india-1039859.html) . News18. 15 August 2015.
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20161002144156/http://www.news18.com/news/t
ech/20-years-of-internet-in-india-on-august-15-1995-public-internet-access-was-launched-in-
india-1039859.html) from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2016.

13. "About Us | ERNET" (https://web.archive.org/web/20150918212827/http://www.eis.ernet.i

n/about.html) . Archived from the original (http://www.eis.ernet.in/about.html) on 18
September 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2015.

14. Ghosh, Shauvik (29 June 2015). "The birth of the Internet in India" (http://www.livemint.co
m/Industry/R3kgewhIhKscbiELV1sHZM/The-birth-of-the-Internet-in-India.html) . Archived
(https://web.archive.org/web/20161002083708/http://www.livemint.com/Industry/R3kgew
hIhKscbiELV1sHZM/The-birth-of-the-Internet-in-India.html) from the original on 2 October
2016. Retrieved 29 September 2016.

15. Livemint (30 June 2015). "A brief history of the Internet" (http://www.livemint.com/Industry/
bQkp9arbe4mlaJHQA1xOjO/A-brief-history-of-the-Internet.html) . Archived (https://web.ar
chive.org/web/20161002151814/http://www.livemint.com/Industry/bQkp9arbe4mlaJHQA
1xOjO/A-brief-history-of-the-Internet.html) from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved
29 September 2016.

16. "VSNL starts India's first Internet service today" (http://dxm.org/techonomist/news/vsnlno

w.html) . Dxm.org. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20150901102755/http://dxm.or
g/techonomist/news/vsnlnow.html) from the original on 1 September 2015. Retrieved
29 September 2016.

17. "Broadband status in India" (https://web.archive.org/web/20130927084149/http://trai.gov.i

n/WriteReadData/Recommendation/Documents/Rcommendation81210.pdf) (PDF). TRAI.
p. 21. Archived from the original (http://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/Recommendation/
Documents/Rcommendation81210.pdf) (PDF) on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 20 June
2012.
18. nicpib4. "Focus" (http://pib.nic.in/focus/foyr98/fo0999/fo0209981.html) . Pib.nic.in.
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20161001205615/http://pib.nic.in/focus/foyr98/fo
0999/fo0209981.html) from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 30 September
2016.

19. Teotia, Riya (3 October 2023). "5G drives India's internet speed ranking up 72 places, ahead
of many G20 countries" (https://www.wionews.com/india-news/5g-drives-indias-speed-rank
ing-up-72-places-better-than-many-g20-countries-642027) . wionews.

20. "India Set to Beat US as Second-Largest Internet Market" (http://gadgets.ndtv.com/internet/

news/india-to-have-second-largest-internet-user-base-by-year-end-iamai-622921) . NDTV
Gadgets. 19 November 2014. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20141119094643/htt
p://gadgets.ndtv.com/internet/news/india-to-have-second-largest-internet-user-base-by-yea
r-end-iamai-622921) from the original on 19 November 2014.

21. "PM-WANI Central Registry" (https://pmwani.gov.in/wani/) . pmwani.gov.in. Retrieved

10 April 2024.

22. "Mobile networks – GSM and 3G coverage" (http://www.gsmarena.com/network-bands.php

3?sCountry=INDIA) . gsmarena.com. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20130731015
243/http://www.gsmarena.com/network-bands.php3?sCountry=INDIA) from the original
on 31 July 2013.

23. StudyDhaba (5 July 2023). "List Of Supported 5G Bands In India 2023 : Latest Updated List"
(https://studydhaba.com/list-of-supported-5g-bands-in-india/) . StudyDhaba. Retrieved
12 September 2023.

24. "The Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicators July – September 2023" (https://ww
w.trai.gov.in/sites/default/files/QPIR_09022024_0.pdf) (PDF). TRAI. 9 February 2024.
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20240308221831/https://www.trai.gov.in/sites/def
ault/files/QPIR_09022024_0.pdf) (PDF) from the original on 8 March 2024. Retrieved
10 March 2024.

25. "TRAI directs operators to ensure minimum 512Kbps speed for broadband subscribers,
asks operators to SMS customers about usage limits: Report" (https://telecomtalk.info/trai-
512kbps-speed-for-broadband-subscribers-asks-operators-to-sms-customers-about-usage-li
mits/158416/) . Telecom Talk. 1 November 2016. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/2
0161103215449/https://telecomtalk.info/trai-512kbps-speed-for-broadband-subscribers-as
ks-operators-to-sms-customers-about-usage-limits/158416/) from the original on 3
November 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
26. "Fixed broadband consumers to get minimum 512 kbps speed" (http://economictimes.india
times.com/tech/internet/fixed-broadband-consumers-to-get-minimum-512-kbps-speed/arti
cleshow/55158477.cms) . The Economic Times. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20
161104033107/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/fixed-broadband-cons
umers-to-get-minimum-512-kbps-speed/articleshow/55158477.cms) from the original on
4 November 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.

27. "Minimum broadband speed set to jump 4 times | Gadgets Now" (http://www.gadgetsnow.c
om/tech-news/Minimum-broadband-speed-set-to-jump-4-times/articleshow/53779179.cm
s) . Gadget Now. 19 August 2016. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/2016102621181
8/http://www.gadgetsnow.com/tech-news/Minimum-broadband-speed-set-to-jump-4-time
s/articleshow/53779179.cms) from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved
1 November 2016.

28. "TRAI increases minimum broadband speed to 2Mbps, suggests lower internet charges for
rural areas" (https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/trai-increases-minimum-bro
adband-speed-to-2mbps-suggests-lower-internet-charges-for-rural-areas-1848091-2021-09-
01) . India Today. September 2021. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/202110100816
59/https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/trai-increases-minimum-broadband-s
peed-to-2mbps-suggests-lower-internet-charges-for-rural-areas-1848091-2021-09-01)
from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2022.

29. Sarkar, Debashis (September 2021). "TRAI to government: Fix 2Mbps as the minimum
broadband internet speed across India" (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/gadgets-new
s/trai-to-government-fix-2mbps-as-the-minimum-broadband-internet-speed-across-india/arti
cleshow/85836769.cms) . The Times of India. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/202
20216210230/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/gadgets-news/trai-to-government-fix-2
mbps-as-the-minimum-broadband-internet-speed-across-india/articleshow/85836769.cm
s) from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022.

30. "Worldwide Broadband Speed League 2023" (https://www.cable.co.uk/broadband/speed/w

orldwide-speed-league/) . Cable. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/2019101701421
4/https://www.cable.co.uk/broadband/speed/worldwide-speed-league/) from the original
on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2023.

31. "India's Mobile and Broadband Internet Speeds" (https://www.speedtest.net/global-index/in

dia#mobile) . Speedtest Global Index. Retrieved 26 December 2023.

32. "Internet Top 20 Countries – Internet Users 2019" (https://www.internetworldstats.com/top

20.htm) . internetworldstats.com. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/2020011123292
2/https://www.internetworldstats.com/top20.htm) from the original on 11 January 2020.
Retrieved 28 August 2019.
33. "Future of Consumption in Fast-Growth Consumer Markets: INDIA" (http://www3.weforum.o
rg/docs/WEF_Future_of_Consumption_Fast-Growth_Consumers_markets_India_report_201
9.pdf) (PDF). World Economic Forum. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/2022062909
1923/https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Consumption_Fast-Growth_Consu
mers_markets_India_report_2019.pdf) (PDF) from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved
4 April 2019.

34. "India's Richest Cities and Its Large Online Gambling Communities" (https://env.media/india
s-richest-cities-and-its-large-online-gambling-communities/) . Env Media. Archived (https://
web.archive.org/web/20220516153425/https://env.media/indias-richest-cities-and-its-large
-online-gambling-communities/) from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 28 June
2022.

35. "Broadband Internet" (http://www.explainthatstuff.com/howbroadbandworks.html)

Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20110913021130/http://www.explainthatstuff.co
m//howbroadbandworks.html) 2011-09-13 at the Wayback Machine, Chris Woodford,
Explain that Stuff, 20 August 2008. Retrieved on 19 January 2009.

36. "The FCC has set a new, faster definition for broadband" (https://www.washingtonpost.co
m/news/the-switch/wp/2015/01/29/the-fcc-has-set-a-new-faster-definition-for-broadban
d/) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20160216033642/https://www.washingtonpo
st.com/news/the-switch/wp/2015/01/29/the-fcc-has-set-a-new-faster-definition-for-broadb
and/) 2016-02-16 at the Wayback Machine, Brian Fung, The Washington Post, 29 January
2015. Retrieved 28 October 2015.

37. "International Bandwidth Bandwidt" (https://www.itu.int/ITU-D/finance/work-cost-tariffs/ev

ents/tariff-seminars/Maputo-09/pdf/session2-Abosse-Internat_Bandwidth-en.pdf) (PDF).
Itu.int. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20170215073515/https://www.itu.int/ITU-D/f
inance/work-cost-tariffs/events/tariff-seminars/Maputo-09/pdf/session2-Abosse-Internat_
Bandwidth-en.pdf) (PDF) from the original on 15 February 2017. Retrieved 3 December
2016.

38. "Telecom Subscription Data as on 31 December 2023" (https://www.trai.gov.in/sites/defaul

t/files/PR_No.07of2024_0.pdf) (PDF). Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

39. "About us" (https://youbroadband.in/aboutus/aboutus_history.php) . You Broadband

Limited. 29 June 2019.

40. "Home Broadband" (https://dnabroadband.com/) . Digital Network Associates Pvt. Ltd. 26

November 2021.

41. "MTNL to be act as BSNL subsidiary Till Merger Complete" (https://www.thehindu.com/busi

ness/Industry/bsnl-mtnl-to-be-merged/article29777424.ece) . The Hindu. 29 June 2019.
42. The Editorial Board (10 April 2015). "Editorial – Global Threats to Net Neutrality" (https://ww
w.nytimes.com/2015/04/10/opinion/global-threats-to-net-neutrality.html) . The New York
Times. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20150411011236/http://www.nytimes.com/
2015/04/10/opinion/global-threats-to-net-neutrality.html) from the original on 11 April
2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.

43. "Not just Airtel Zero: Facebook to WhatsApp, everyone has violated Net Neutrality in India"
(http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/social/net-neutrality-debate-its-not-just-limite
d-to-airtel-zero/) . The Indian Express. 18 April 2015. Archived (https://web.archive.org/we
b/20150504060356/http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/social/net-neutrality-deb
ate-its-not-just-limited-to-airtel-zero/) from the original on 4 May 2015. Retrieved 4 May
2015.

44. "What Net Neutrality?" (http://gadgets.ndtv.com/telecom/news/what-net-neutrality-voip-call

s-such-as-skype-could-cost-extra-on-airtel-639283) . NDTV. 24 December 2014. Archived
(https://web.archive.org/web/20141224150150/http://gadgets.ndtv.com/telecom/news/w
hat-net-neutrality-voip-calls-such-as-skype-could-cost-extra-on-airtel-639283) from the
original on 24 December 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.

45. "Regulatory Framework for Over-the-top (OTT)" (https://trai.gov.in/sites/default/files/OTT-C

P-27032015.pdf) (PDF). Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20230530090705/https://
www.trai.gov.in/sites/default/files/OTT-CP-27032015.pdf) (PDF) from the original on 30
May 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.

46. Singh, Saurabh (8 April 2015). "Politicos slam TRAI's stance on net neutrality" (http://indiato
day.intoday.in/technology/story/politicos-raise-concern-over-trais-threatening-consultation-
on-net-neutrality/1/429135.html) . India Today. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/201
50412222226/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/technology/story/politicos-raise-concern-over-tra
is-threatening-consultation-on-net-neutrality/1/429135.html) from the original on 12 April
2015. Retrieved 12 April 2015.

47. Gandhi, Rajat (8 April 2015). "Net neutrality: Why Internet is in danger of being shackled" (htt
ps://web.archive.org/web/20160110023114/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.co
m/2015-04-08/news/60943272_1_net-neutrality-telecom-operators-viber) . The Economic
Times. Archived from the original (http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-04-0
8/news/60943272_1_net-neutrality-telecom-operators-viber) on 10 January 2016.
Retrieved 12 April 2015.
48. "Indians rally for Internet freedom, send over 1 lakh emails to TRAI for net neutrality" (http
s://web.archive.org/web/20150415193045/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/indians-rally-for-inte
rnet-freedom-send-over-1-lakh-emails-to-trai-for-net-neutrality/539553-11.html) . IBNLive.
13 April 2015. Archived from the original (http://ibnlive.in.com/news/indians-rally-for-intern
et-freedom-send-over-1-lakh-emails-to-trai-for-net-neutrality/539553-11.html) on 15 April
2015. Retrieved 13 April 2015.

49. "Trai publishes email IDs of netizens, site hacked" (https://www.deccanchronicle.com/1504

28/business-latest/article/trai-publishes-email-ids-netizens-site-hacked) . Deccan
Chronicle. 28 April 2015. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20160211154549/http://w
ww.deccanchronicle.com/150428/business-latest/article/trai-publishes-email-ids-netizens-
site-hacked) from the original on 11 February 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2015.

50. "Regulation Data Service" (http://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/WhatsNew/Documents/R

egulation_Data_Service.pdf) (PDF). 8 February 2016. Archived (https://web.archive.org/w
eb/20160209062517/http://www.trai.gov.in/WriteReadData/WhatsNew/Documents/Regul
ation_Data_Service.pdf) (PDF) from the original on 9 February 2016. Retrieved 9 February
2016.

51. "Industry welcomes TRAI decision" (http://www.indiatvnews.com/business/india/industry-u

sers-laud-trai-facebook-operators-cry-foul-21103.html) . 8 February 2016. Archived (http
s://web.archive.org/web/20160209170036/http://www.indiatvnews.com/business/india/in
dustry-users-laud-trai-facebook-operators-cry-foul-21103.html) from the original on 9
February 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2016.

52. "STI Statement on outcome of TRAI consultation on Differential Pricing of Data Services" (ht
tps://web.archive.org/web/20160211050552/http://blog.savetheinternet.in/statement-on-tr
ai-order-on-diff-pricing/) . 9 February 2016. Archived from the original (http://blog.savethei
nternet.in/statement-on-trai-order-on-diff-pricing) on 11 February 2016. Retrieved
9 February 2016.

53. "India – Country Report" (https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/2016/india) .

Freedom House. 10 November 2016. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/201702031636
42/https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/2016/india) from the original on 3
February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.

54. "Table of Country Scores FOTN 2016" (https://freedomhouse.org/report/table-country-scor

es-fotn-2016) . Freedomhouse.org. 4 November 2016. Archived (https://web.archive.org/w
eb/20171027180912/https://freedomhouse.org/report/table-country-scores-fotn-2016)
from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
55. "India: Freedom on the Net 2022 Country Report" (https://freedomhouse.org/country/india/
freedom-net/2022) . Freedom House. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/2023061309
1919/https://freedomhouse.org/country/india/freedom-net/2022) from the original on 13
June 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.

56. "India: internet penetration rate 2024" (https://www.statista.com/statistics/792074/india-int

ernet-penetration-rate/) . Statista. Retrieved 30 May 2024.

57. "Global internet penetration rate by region 2024" (https://www.statista.com/statistics/2693

29/penetration-rate-of-the-internet-by-region/) . Statista. Retrieved 30 May 2024.

58. "Digital 2024: Global Overview Report" (https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-global

-overview-report) . DataReportal – Global Digital Insights. 31 January 2024. Retrieved
30 May 2024.

59. "Number of digital buyers in India 2021-2025" (https://web.archive.org/web/202308010543

16/https://www.statista.com/statistics/251631/number-of-digital-buyers-in-india/) .
statista. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.

60. BSNL Internet Data Center (http://www.bsnlcloud.com/pages/index.asp) Archived (http

s://web.archive.org/web/20130917083730/http://www.bsnlcloud.com/pages/index.asp)
2013-09-17 at the Wayback Machine, website, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. and Dimension
Data, retrieved 11 September 2013.

61. "Trimax - Data Center Service" (https://web.archive.org/web/20140925223804/http://www.t

rimax.in/index.php/services-0/managed-it-services/data-center-service) . Archived from
the original (http://www.trimax.in/index.php/services-0/managed-it-services/data-center-se
rvice) on 25 September 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2014.

62. "Now Open – AWS Asia Pacific (Mumbai) Region | AWS Blog" (https://aws.amazon.com/blo
gs/aws/now-open-aws-asia-pacific-mumbai-region/) . Aws.amazon.com. 28 June 2016.
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20170514064907/https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/
aws/now-open-aws-asia-pacific-mumbai-region/) from the original on 14 May 2017.
Retrieved 22 May 2017.

63. "GCP arrives in India with launch of Mumbai region" (https://cloudplatform.googleblog.com/

2017/10/GCP-arrives-in-India-with-launch-of-Mumbai-region.html) . Google Cloud Platform
Blog. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20180705175759/https://cloudplatform.googl
eblog.com/2017/10/GCP-arrives-in-India-with-launch-of-Mumbai-region.html) from the
original on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.