Minister of State for Communications Dr Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar today said that India’s telecom sector is advancing with a clear roadmap to emerge as a global leader in 5G and upcoming 6G technologies. Addressing the ET Telecom 5G Summit in New Delhi, the Minister highlighted that the country has witnessed notable progress in the sector. Further, he expressed confidence that India is poised to reach one billion 5G users by 2031. Dr Pemmasani underlined that the transformative impact of next-generation connectivity enables unprecedented opportunities for citizens across the country. On rural connectivity, the Minister said that nearly 35 thousand remote villages are now being connected through 4G infrastructure. He noted that BSNL has played a crucial role in strengthening rural telecom infrastructure, including upgrading power systems and improving network uptime to 90 to 95% in several regions.