Summary:
Industry leaders have highlighted that resilient, secure, and intelligent telecom infrastructure will be central to India’s next phase of digital growth, supporting sectors such as finance, healthcare, governance, mobility, and AI-driven services. On World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2026, experts from telecom, satellite communications, and network technology companies stressed the importance of scalable networks powered by fiber, satellite connectivity, AI, cloud-native systems, and edge computing. They also emphasised the need for regulatory reforms, stronger cybersecurity, deeper fiberisation, and improved network resilience to ensure uninterrupted digital services and support the country’s rapidly expanding digital economy.
As India’s digital economy continues to grow at a rapid pace, industry leaders have emphasised that resilient and intelligent telecom infrastructure is becoming essential for supporting sectors such as finance, governance, healthcare, enterprise operations, mobility, and AI-powered ecosystems. Marking World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) 2026, stakeholders from the telecom, satellite communications, digital services, and network infrastructure sectors noted that the country’s next phase of digital transformation will rely heavily on secure, scalable, and dependable communication networks.
S.P. Kochhar, Director General of the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), said telecom infrastructure has moved beyond its traditional communication role and now serves as a foundational layer for key industries. He pointed out that services such as UPI payments, e-governance, logistics, healthcare, manufacturing, and enterprise functions increasingly depend on strong telecom networks. Kochhar also stated that major traffic-generating digital platforms, which benefit significantly from large-scale data usage and monetisation, should contribute fairly toward strengthening the telecom ecosystem.
Highlighting the importance of satellite connectivity, A K Bhatt, former Director General of the Indian Space Association (ISpA), said satellite communications would complement terrestrial networks by maintaining connectivity in remote regions, disaster-affected locations, and during service disruptions. He also stressed the need for faster regulatory approvals, simplified licensing systems, and timely spectrum allocation processes to support sector growth.
Sharing similar views, Gautam Sharma, Managing Director of Viasat India, said satellite technology is becoming an important extension of ground-based telecom infrastructure, particularly for geographically difficult areas and emergency situations where conventional networks may fail.
From the network infrastructure perspective, Vibha Mehra, Country Manager at Nokia India, stated that as telecom networks evolve into platforms enabling intelligent digital ecosystems, the demand for secure, resilient, and high-performance infrastructure is becoming increasingly critical.
Industry executives also underlined the growing significance of artificial intelligence, cloud-native systems, edge computing, and secure digital platforms in building reliable digital ecosystems. Rajesh Chandiramani, CEO of Comviva, said network resilience now extends beyond connectivity to ensuring uninterrupted digital experiences. He added that resilient ecosystems would require deeper integration of intelligent networks, AI-driven platforms, cloud-native technologies, and secure infrastructure to maintain service continuity during network stress or disruptions.
Amol Phadke, Chief Transformation Officer at Tech Mahindra, noted that communications service providers are entering a crucial phase where connectivity serves as the foundation for broader industrial and societal innovation. He said the industry is moving from connectivity-focused models toward platform-led and ecosystem-driven growth powered by AI, cloud-native architectures, open APIs, and edge technologies.
Meanwhile, Pankaj Malik, CEO and Whole-time Director of Invenia-STL Networks, said the focus in telecom is increasingly shifting from basic connectivity to network intelligence and quality. According to him, the future growth of India’s telecom sector will depend on deeper fiber deployment, resilient infrastructure, and low-latency networks capable of supporting real-time and data-intensive applications.
Rahul Tandon, Senior Vice President at IDEMIA Secure Transaction, added that technologies such as IoT, eSIM, and quantum-safe security are becoming fundamental for developing secure, resilient, and future-ready digital ecosystems. He emphasised that the strength of future communication networks will depend heavily on the security frameworks embedded within them today.
