According to a statement by the Government of India, an estimated 5,58,537 villages out of 5,97,618 inhabited villages in India have mobile wireless broadband coverage. In addition to this, the Minister of State for Communications said that the BharatNet project is expected to provide high-speed Internet/broadband in all gram panchayats (GPs) and villages in the country.
As of February 28, 2022, a total of 1,72,361 gram panchayats have been made ready for service through broadband infrastructure under BharatNet. Internet facility availability is monitored based on the number of users. The availability of Internet connectivity enables the public to access various online digital services including in the field of education and healthcare.
Under the BharatNet program, the Government of India, through the Ministry of Telecommunications, has developed a strategic plan to provide broadband connectivity to all 250,000 panchayats through 100 Mbps fiber optic cables.
BharatNet, also known as Bharat Broadband Network Limited, is a government-owned broadband infrastructure provider established by the Department of Telecommunications under the Ministry of Communications of the Government of India to establish, manage and operate the national fiber optic network to provide broadband connectivity to all 250,000 grams of panchayats in India by improving the middle layer of broadband Internet across India. panchayats with at least 100 Mbit/s broadband connectivity, covering nearly 625,000 villages, to achieve the goals of Digital India.
