India must convert its vast mobile connectivity base into stronger enterprise productivity, innovation and trusted digital services, according to the GSMA.
India has around 1.2 billion active mobile connections and almost 450 million 5G connections, but the GSMA said scale alone would not determine the impact of the country’s digital economy.
Three new reports from GSMA identify AI-ready networks, faster enterprise digitisation, stronger digital trust and open global standards for 6G as key requirements for turning connectivity into broader economic value.
“India has demonstrated that it can deliver digital scale. The opportunity now is to turn that scale into innovation, enterprise growth and trusted digital services,” said Vivek Badrinath, director general of the GSMA. “Digital trust is not simply a safeguard. It is infrastructure for growth.”
The GSMA’s India Ecosystem Insight Report: From Mobile Connectivity to Digital Infrastructure calls for high-capacity, secure and resilient networks capable of supporting India’s artificial intelligence ambitions. AI could also help operators improve network planning, energy efficiency, service assurance, cybersecurity and fraud detection.
For businesses, the report points to fixed wireless access, private networks, cloud connectivity, network application programming interfaces and cybersecurity services as tools that could accelerate digital adoption and create new growth opportunities.
Trust is a central theme across the research. The GSMA’s Digital Nations APAC 2026 report identifies verifiable identities, authentic communications, resilient networks and responsible sharing of trusted information as four foundations of trusted digital ecosystems.
The need for stronger consumer protection is highlighted in the India Consumer Scam Report 2026. Twelve per cent of surveyed respondents said they had been scammed during the previous year, while 72% said the increasing risk of scams had changed their behaviour.
Although 86% of victims reported their cases to an organisation, one-third of reported cases remained unresolved and 67% of victims who lost money recovered none of it. Trust in institutions was higher when cases were resolved: 88% of respondents whose cases were resolved were comfortable with the government using their data, compared with 64% among those whose cases remained unresolved.
The GSMA called for faster case resolution, improved recovery and closer coordination between government agencies, banks, mobile operators and digital platforms. Network APIs, including number verification and SIM-swap signals, could provide an additional layer of protection. Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea support the GSMA Open Gateway framework in India.
The reports also highlight India’s opportunity to influence the development of 6G. The Bharat 6G Alliance and industry partners across Asia Pacific have signed the GSMA’s Tokyo Accord, supporting open, interoperable and trusted digital ecosystems.
“Open, interoperable and trusted global standards allow innovation to travel, so people and businesses everywhere can benefit,” Badrinath said.
