Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 10th edition of the Indian Mobile Congress on Thursday, highlighting how India’s digital ecosystem has demonstrated the ability to “Scale Without Boundaries.” During his address, the Prime Minister spoke about the expansion of telecom connectivity, digital governance and online education across the country. Referring to the summit’s theme, he said the event had gradually developed into a platform showcasing “India’s progress and India’s dreams.”
PM Modi said telecommunications in India now encompassed far more than networks, spectrum, towers and internet speeds. “Over the past 10–12 years, mobile phones have not only served as a medium of modern communication but have also emerged as an essential tool for good governance,” he said, describing this transformation as a key element of the government’s Digital India vision.
Digital India mission addressed the digital divide
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the digital divide had posed a significant challenge in India until about a decade ago, when access to modern technology was largely limited to people with sufficient resources. “Through the Digital India mission, we resolved to change this landscape, placing the mobile phone right at its center,” he said.
Describing the initiative as an important step towards making technology accessible to everyone, Modi said the government introduced reforms in the telecom sector and rapidly expanded infrastructure. Domestic smartphone manufacturing also grew considerably during this period. “Through every such endeavor, access to mobile phones and data became significantly easier for the average Indian citizen,” he said.
According to the Prime Minister, the impact of this digital ecosystem became particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Yet, in India, offices continued to run. Work went on. Education never stopped. This was made possible by India’s digital ecosystem.”
Highlighting the role of telecommunications in educational reforms, Modi cited the DIKSHA platform. He said that during the pandemic, up to July 2022, the platform had recorded “over 5 billion learning sessions and nearly 60 billion learning minutes.” The aim across digital and online learning platforms, he added, was to reach nearly 250 million students.
“In other words, the telecom revolution has directly benefited every citizen of India,” he said, noting that the COVID-19 pandemic had also played a significant role in accelerating the shift towards digital education.
Gaming and the creator economy
Content creation and gaming have become important components of India’s digital ecosystem, opening up fresh opportunities for economic growth, the Prime Minister said.
“Take the gaming sector, for example. It is estimated that today, more than 500 million people in India are connected to the gaming ecosystem in some way,” he added.
Modi said mobile phones had evolved beyond their traditional uses and were increasingly serving as tools for content production.
“In other words, in India, the mobile phone today is not just a gaming console—it has also become a creation studio.”
He highlighted the role of mobile technology in the growth of India’s creator economy, saying, “The mobile phone has also democratised content creation in India.”
Global framework needed to tackle cybercrime
The Prime Minister also raised concerns about cybercrime, describing it as an increasingly serious challenge in the digital world and a source of worry for ordinary citizens.
“An ordinary citizen does not think in terms of protocols or architecture. For them, trust is extremely important,” he said.
To address cybercrime, Modi called for the creation of an international framework, stressing that online fraud and other digital offences increasingly crossed national boundaries.
“Cyber fraud and cybercrime do not respect borders. They have already crossed those boundaries,” he said. “Therefore, it is important that we work towards a global framework to address this. Governments, technology companies, telecom operators and financial institutions—all of them will have to be part of this framework.”
Modi also urged telecom operators to cooperate in tackling spam, fraud and similar scams. Calling on the GSMA and telecommunications companies worldwide to work together, he said, “I also urge the GSMA and telecom operators around the world: let us create a global mechanism that can prevent such fraud from reaching people in the first place.”
He added that India had gained considerable experience in addressing these challenges and was willing to share its learnings internationally. “India has learned a great deal from its own experience in this direction, and India is always ready to share its experiences with the world.”
