At 83 subscribers for every 100 residents, is second second only toKerala(87) in Internet penetration in states in the country. Overall, internet reach in India stands at 67 for every 100 people.
According to data released recently by the Union Government, only four states have more than 80 subscribers per 100 people. After Kerala and Telangana,Punjab and Himachal Pradeshhave also 83 internet subscribers for every 100 residents. The number stands at 67 for neighbouringAndhra Pradesh. Among the states, Bihar (37) is at the bottom. National capital New Delhi (taken as a city) is an exception with more than 202 internet subscribers for every 100 people.
The internet subscription details include both wireless and wired connections (landline and mobile internet), according to the report of the technical group on Population projections for India and states 2011-2036.
Teledensity is one of the sub parameters used to assess the progress of states and countries towards achieving Sustainable Development goals (SDG).
As per the report, Telangana has 11.5 million rural subscribers compared to 20 million urban ones. While urban areas are saturated with 110 internet connections per 100 population, rural areas are still lagging at 57.
According to data from telecom service providers (TSPs), department of telecom’s (DoT) field unit and state governments as of March 2022, out of 6,44,131 villages (as on 2019) in the country, around 6,05,230 have mobile internet connectivity.