Internet in India
In the same year, 64 kbit/s Internet gateway link was commissioned from NCST Mumbai to UUNet in Virginia, United States.
[12] The first publicly available internet service in India was launched by state-owned Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) on 15 August 1995.
[20] 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.
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.
"[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.
[36] 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.
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.
[25] 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%).
The five largest wireless broadband providers are Jio (50.98%), Airtel (30.63%), Vodafone Idea (15.57%), BSNL (2.77%) and Intech Online Pvt.
The following table shows the top 5 Wired broadband service providers in India by total subscriber base as of 31 December 2023.
The following table shows the top 5 Wireless broadband service providers in India by total subscriber base as of 31 December 2023.
[44] 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.
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.
[50] On 8 February 2016, TRAI took a revolutionary decision, prohibiting telecom service providers from levying discriminatory rates for data,[51] 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,[52] and the inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners Lee.
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.
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%.
[57][58][59] 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.
