A new era of mobile in villages! Now people want phones not only for talking but also for more work.

About 10 years ago, the primary function of mobile phones in villages was to connect people to each other. People mostly used phone to talk. But now times have changed. People in villages not only want to talk on mobile but also want to use fast internet and do many types of work.

The last 10 years report of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India i.e. TRAI shows that the number of mobile users in villages has changed a lot. In the year 2015, there were about 41.93 crore mobile subscribers in villages. By the year 2021, this number has increased to more than 53.5 crore. In March 2023 it was around 51.8 crores. During this period, villages accounted for about 42 to 45 percent of the country’s total mobile subscribers.

Travel from landline to mobile and fast internet

Earlier, wired phones i.e. landlines were mostly used in households. But now even in villages people are becoming more dependent on mobile network and internet. According to TRAI data, there were 51.2 lakh landline connections in villages in March 2015. By March 2025, their number will decrease to 35 lakh. In the year 2021, this number reached 16.7 lakh. After this there was a slight increase. This shows that the way of using phones in villages is changing. Now people want to stay connected through internet instead of talking on phone.

Now the data is being widely used even in the villages

Data from mobile companies also shows this change. Reliance Jio said that in fiscal 2026, about 46 percent of the total internet data used on its network came from villages. As of March 31, 2026, Jio had 26.85 crore 5G customers. At the same time, 37 percent of the company’s new residential broadband customers added that year were from rural areas.

This means that villages are no longer just a place to increase mobile connections. People there are also widely using internet and fast network. According to TRAI’s March 2025 report, there were about 25 lakh 5G fixed wireless internet subscribers in villages. Reliance Jio had a share of this entire customer base at that time.

Airtel is also expanding its network in villages

Bharti Airtel says that the most important thing for customers is that they get good internet. It doesn’t matter if the internet is wired or wireless. Airtel has installed more than 77,500 network sites in villages between January 2021 and December 2025. According to the company, this has given access to more than 17 crore additional people in over 1.73 lakh villages through 4G and 5G networks.

In FY 2025-26, the company set up around 8,000 new sites. Many of these were in villages. Airtel also worked on upgrading old 4G devices and expanding the 5G network. According to TRAI, Jio’s share of rural mobile subscribers was 39.51 percent in March 2025. Airtel had 36.40 percent, Vodafone Idea 18.45 percent and BSNL 5.64 percent.

Electricity is also required for the network

Expanding mobile network in villages is not easy. For this, it is necessary to make proper arrangement of electricity along with installing the tower. In its annual report, Vodafone Idea has stated that lack of electricity in villages and poor access to electricity is a major problem in network expansion.

According to Zetwork’s Simanta Ghosh, the challenge in villages is not just getting electricity, but getting it consistently and properly. There are voltage fluctuations and power cuts at many places. This can make it difficult to maintain such a network, which has to work day and night.

Now is the time to make people’s work easier through internet

Universal Service Obligation Fund i.e. USOF was created in the year 2002 to provide telecommunication services in villages. Its aim was to provide phone facilities in villages and remote areas where it was difficult for companies to establish a network. Later facilities like mobile, broadband and optical fiber were also included in it. In the year 2024, it was renamed as Digital Bharat Nidhi.

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