Lok Sabha Question No. 2064 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-11
Subject: 5G Network Coverage
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri Dhairyasheel Sambhajirao Mane, Shri Sudheer Gupta, Shri Chavan Ravindra Vasantrao

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2064 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11 TH  FEBRUARY, 2026

## 5G NETWORK COVERAGE

## 2064.   SHRI DHAIRYASHEEL SAMBHAJIRAO MANE: SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA: SHRI CHAVAN RAVINDRA VASANTRAO:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether India has become the second-largest user of 5G services in the world in terms of number of subscribers and if so the details thereof;
- (b) the percentage increase in number of telephone connections particularly in rural areas during the last one year;
- (c) the extent of 5G network coverage achieved so far across urban and rural areas, State/UT wise;
- (d) the  likely  impact  of  rapid  5G  adoption  on  digital  inclusion,  innovation,  employment generation and key sectors such as healthcare, education, manufacturing and agriculture; and
- (e) the steps taken/being taken to address concerns relating to cybersecurity, data privacy and network resilience in the expanding 5G ecosystem?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR)

- (a) As  on  30.11.2025,  India  has  over  385  million  5G  wireless  data  subscribers  and  over  10 million FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) subscribers. India is the second largest 5G market in the world.
- (b) The number of telephone connections in India increased by 0.24% from 1198.75 million in Mar 2024 to 1201.67 million in Mar 2025. During this period, the telephone connections in rural areas increased by 0.15% from 533.34 million to 534.11 million.
- (c) As  on  31.12.2025,  Telecom  Service  Providers  (TSPs)  have  installed  5.18  lakh  Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) across the country. Presently, 5G services are available in over 3.66 lakh villages of the country. The State-wise count of BTS and 5G covered villages is placed at Annexure-I.
- (d) 5G offers advantages of higher peak data rates, lower latency and higher spectrum efficiency over  the  previous  4G  Mobile  Technology.  These  advantages  of  5G  are  expected  to  cause  wideranging  benefits  across  various  socio-economic  areas  such  as  digital  inclusion,  innovation, employment  generation  and  key  sectors such  as healthcare, education,  manufacturing  and agriculture.

(e) Government  has  taken  initiatives  such  as  Sanchar  Saathi,  Digital  Intelligence  Platform, ASTR (Artificial Intelligence and Facial Recognition powered Solution for Telecom SIM Subscriber Verification)-  AI  driven  fraud  detection,  FRI  (Financial  Fraud  Risk  Indicator),  International Incoming Spoofed Call Prevention System and Device Setu- Indian Counterfeited Device Restriction systems  to  strengthen  telecom  cybersecurity,  ensure  data  privacy  and  enhance  protection against telecom-enabled frauds.

Government  is  operationalizing  a  comprehensive  framework  for  security  testing  and certification  of  telecom  equipment  in  India.  Indian  Telecom  Security  Assurance  Requirements

(ITSAR) are being notified for various network functions including those for 5G network. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 ('DPDP Act') establishes a statutory framework governing processing of digital personal data, including data processed within advanced telecom and 5G ecosystem. The Act embeds privacy-by-design and security-by-design principles that are directly relevant to safeguarding personal data handled by telecom networks, digital platforms and connected 5G services, thereby strengthening data protection as an integral component of network resilience and cybersecurity.

Government  has  also  prescribed  an  SOP  (Standard  Operating  Procedure)  comprising  of specific measures to ensure network resilience and coordinated national response during emergency situations.

## Annexure-I

## Annexure referred to reply to part (c) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question no. 2064 answered on 11 th  February 2026 regarding '5G Network Coverage''

State-wise count of 5G BTS and 5G covered villages as on 31.12.2025

| State/UTs                                | 5G BTS count   | No. of villages having 5G coverage*   |
|------------------------------------------|----------------|---------------------------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh                           | 20,650         | 8,530                                 |
| Arunachal Pradesh                        | 704            | 562                                   |
| Assam                                    | 10,068         | 3,688                                 |
| Bihar                                    | 27,535         | 42,836                                |
| Chhattisgarh                             | 7,221          | 9,108                                 |
| Goa                                      | 1,077          | 314                                   |
| Gujarat                                  | 35,413         | 15,707                                |
| Haryana                                  | 18,851         | 6,426                                 |
| Himachal Pradesh                         | 4,582          | 11,171                                |
| Jharkhand                                | 10,519         | 19,241                                |
| Karnataka                                | 34,392         | 19,657                                |
| Kerala                                   | 21,813         | 1,334                                 |
| Madhya Pradesh                           | 22,182         | 27,961                                |
| Maharashtra                              | 54,261         | 31,784                                |
| Manipur                                  | 1,349          | 647                                   |
| Meghalaya                                | 892            | 1,119                                 |
| Mizoram                                  | 508            | 74                                    |
| Nagaland                                 | 820            | 245                                   |
| Odisha                                   | 14,361         | 2,948                                 |
| Punjab                                   | 17,838         | 11,666                                |
| Rajasthan                                | 31,034         | 20,634                                |
| Sikkim                                   | 355            | 349                                   |
| Tamilnadu                                | 37,735         | 9,377                                 |
| Telangana                                | 19,563         | 1,945                                 |
| Tripura                                  | 1,397          | 857                                   |
| Uttar Pradesh                            | 60,168         | 78,542                                |
| Uttarakhand                              | 6,053          | 4,729                                 |
| West Bengal                              | 33,791         | 31,004                                |
| Andaman &Nicobar                         | 138            | 35                                    |
| Chandigarh                               | 809            | -                                     |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | 438            | 94                                    |
| Delhi                                    | 13,558         | 55                                    |
| Jammu& Kashmir                           | 7,805          | 3,704                                 |
| Ladakh                                   | 302            | 22                                    |
| Lakshadweep                              | 4              | 3                                     |
| Puducherry                               | 668            | 96                                    |
| All-India                                | 5,18,854       | 3,66,464                              |

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