The Past

The history of the Indian Telecom Industry can be dated back to the British Raj, when the first experimental electric telegraph line started between Calcutta and Diamond Harbor way back in 1850. Since then, it has been a long and eventful journey, and today, it has transformed into a massive industry connecting millions everyday across the country.

The rapid growth of mobile telephony in India ranks inarguably as one of the nation’s greatest success stories. Cheap smartphone connectivity has empowered individuals in myriad ways, and has served as a massive productivity multiplier for the economy as a whole. With the announcements of the new economic reforms back in 1991, the Telecom Industry evolved in leaps and bounds, fueled by the intervention of private players. This led to the emergence of giants such as Bharti Mittal with his Bharti Airtel, and Reliance Telecommunications at around the late 90s. The scene was further intensified with more international Telecom giants which includes Vodafone pouring in to the Indian consumer market. The ultimate result was a healthy competition among all the competing Telecom giants, leaving the consumers as the winners. By the end of 2010, the Telecom revolution in India was not only up- and- running but growing at light speed.

The Present

Although a late starter compared to the rest of the world, India has emerged as the 4^th largest telecom sector in the world.Today, two out of every three individuals in India have access to mobile phones. While the number of internet users is all set to cross the 900-million mark by 2023. According to a TRAI forecast, India will have 2.1 billion connected devices by 2023, increasing from 1.5 billion in 2018.

Jio Named As World's 5th Strongest Brand

Despite being founded only in 2016, Reliance’s new venture Reliance Jio – the telecommunication wing of Reliance Industries, Jio quickly become the largest mobile network operator in India and the third largest mobile network operator in the world with almost 400 million subscribers. Renowned for its incredibly affordable plans, Jio took India by storm through offering 4G to millions of users for free, simultaneously transforming how Indians consume the internet – known as the ‘Jio effect'.

Recently, World Finance Global 500 announced its 2021 rankings where Reliance Jio was enlisted as the world’s 5^th strongest brand.

The Future

The future of India’s telecommunication will revolve around the implementation of additional advancements in technology. 5G – which is dubbed as the next-gen connectivity with its capabilities to interact with the AI is all set to dominate the new economic world order. And, while Reliance Jio was enlisted as the 5^th strongest brand in the world, Bharti Airtel also made a significant announcement:

Bharti Airtel Becomes India’s First 5G Operators

In an official statement recently, Airtel announced that it has become the country's first telecom operator to successfully demonstrate and orchestrate live 5G service over a commercial network in Hyderabad city. Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO, Bharti Airtel said: "With Airtel being the first operator to demonstrate this capability, we have shown again that we have always been the first in India to pioneer new technologies in our quest for empowering Indians everywhere."