Digital Horizons: Soft Connectivity in Northeast India

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This commentary is part of the ongoing U.S. Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific: North Eastern Dialogue.

Target 9. C of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) aims to provide universal access to information and communication technology. According to the SDG Digital Acceleration Agenda, digital technologies can contribute to  119 of the 169 SDG targets, including areas such as climate action, education, hunger, and poverty. In the 21^st Century, digital connectivity, achieved through wireless, wired, and satellite technology, is the primary source of communication. More than half of the world’s mobile subscribers reside in the Asia Pacific. By the end of 2024, Asia had 2.7 billion unique mobile subscribers, accounting for around 67 percent of the region’s population. India ranks 49^th in the Network Readiness Index 2024 and second among lower-middle-income countries in digital progress. The Digital India Programme and National Digital Communications Policy were launched as important flagship programmes. Recent initiatives include PM Gati Shakti, National AI Strategy, and the Bharat 6G Vision.

Challenges Creating the Digital Divide

India’s Northeast faces challenges to meaningful digital connectivity due to insufficient internet penetration and IT infrastructure. The region’s difficult geographical terrain, sparsely populated remote locations, and the threat of natural calamities also constrain the creation of digital infrastructure. The geographical remoteness of the Northeast from the international internet gateway, which was connected via Mumbai and Chennai, created problems such as weak internet speed and connectivity lapses. Moreover, the digital space has become a new arena of power politics and contestation in this region, as areas predominantly inhabited by tribes remain without digital and basic infrastructure.

The geographical remoteness of the Northeast from the international internet gateway, which was connected via Mumbai and Chennai, created problems such as weak internet speed and connectivity lapses.

Although the Northeast has the potential for improved electricity availability and access, it still faces significant gaps in network connectivity and the first level of the digital divide. As a result, it continues to be specifically highlighted in policies aimed at enhancing connectivity. While the state of internet penetration has improved in the region, the Northeast experiences higher network downtime and slower internet speeds. There are still a large number of villages without mobile connectivity, and a low percentage of gram panchayats are covered by broadband internet. In 2022, considerable variation was noted in the number of mobile internet subscribers across the Northeast, with the highest in Assam, followed by Manipur and Tripura, and the lowest in Sikkim (Table 1).

Table 1: Mobile Internet Subscribers (2022)

Source: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India

Low tele-density reflects the number of telephone connections per 100 individuals, the penetration of telecom services among the population of an area. Assam has the lowest tele-density in the Northeast, followed by Meghalaya and Nagaland. The rollout of broadband in the Northeast has been slow, hindered by technical, topographical, and logistical challenges. These issues have affected both the speed and reliability of internet connectivity, limiting access to real-time digital services and seamless internet navigation, especially in the region’s most remote blocks and districts. As late as 2019-2021, the percentage of individuals who had ever used the internet remained low in the Northeast, with Tripura recording the lowest usage (Table 2).

Table 2: Percentage of Individuals Ever Used the Internet (2019-2021)

Source: NFHS-5. Note: This is the latest available data. Post-COVID figures are not available.

Access to functional computers and internet connectivity is of paramount importance in school education in an era where computer literacy is becoming compulsory for every citizen. In Assam, there has been a considerable decline in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) labs and smart classrooms between 2021-22 and 2022-23. In recent years, the dependence on traditional teaching methods, insufficient lab attendants and technical staff in schools, limited ICT knowledge, ICT-untrained teaching staff, poor digital infrastructure in rural areas, and limited funding have depressed the ICT infrastructure development in schools of Assam. A slowdown in the physical progress of smart classrooms in Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim is observed between 2021–2023 (see Table 3). Infrastructural constraints such as unreliable electricity and poor internet connectivity, particularly in rural areas, remain a significant barrier to the smart classroom in the Northeast.

Table 3: Physical Progress of ICT Labs and Smart Classrooms

Source: Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 18

Barring Nagaland and Sikkim, there has been a decline in ICT availability in primary and upper primary levels in rural schools of Tripura, Manipur, Meghalaya, and Mizoram between 2011 and 2022. While Assam has seen a slight improvement since 2013, the progress remains modest compared to other states in the Northeast (See Figure 1).

Figure 1: ICT Availability in Rural School (Primary & UP)

Source: ASER Report (Various Issues). Note: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 stand for 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2018 & 2022. Figures on the Y axis represent the percentage of the school

Work in Progress for the Digital Leap

Thus, ICT facilities in schools in the Northeast are still far from satisfactory.  The Digital India Mission has made significant strides in expanding internet access to enhance government services and financial inclusion. However, challenges such as digital literacy gaps, cybersecurity threats, and infrastructure limitations must be addressed to ensure the continued success of the mission. With the promising roadmap for Digital India calling greater attention to increasing internet accessibility, training citizens in digital skills, improving cybersecurity, and leveraging new technologies like IoT and AI, the country is poised to become a global leader in the digital age. The government’s commitment, along with continuous support from the private sector and citizens, will be crucial in ensuring that the Digital India Mission reaches its full potential.

The Digital India Mission has made significant strides in expanding internet access to enhance government services and financial inclusion.

Alhough the Northeast lags behind other Indian states in digital infrastructure and access, they have the potential to overcome the divide with the appropriate implementation of plans. There is a high expectation from the Digital North-East initiative of Digital India Corporation, aimed at enhancing ICT applications in agriculture, differently abled education, and embroidery and weaving. The recent initiative towards the first 5G training laboratories and 5G healthcare applications in the Northeast can be instrumental in improving the citizens’ access to timely healthcare. The inauguration of India’s 3^rd international internet gateway link at Agartala via Bangladesh has the potential to boost ‘Act Fast for Northeast’ & ‘Act First for Northeast’ policies and the Digital India program. The Digital Bharat Nidhi also aims at enhancing access in remote areas of the Northeast. UPI transactions have made remarkable progress in this region. As part of the mission to enhance the digital ecosystem, public-private initiatives aimed at rapidly improving infrastructure are expected to address key challenges to accessibility, affordability, and digital empowerment in the Northeast.

Poor ICT infrastructure, absence of skilled talent, and limited scope for employing IT graduates are, to an extent, responsible for the backwardness of the ICT sector in the Northeast. However, the Northeast has the potential to become an IT hub with large-scale investment in telecom, education, and the IT sector through increased public-private partnerships. Its advancement in the Northeast will amp India’s cross-border trade by reducing transaction costs and increasing export revenue.

Pradyut Guha is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics, Sikkim University

• Internet Governance
• Sustainable Development
• Connectivity
• India
• act fast for north east
• digital bharat nidhi
• digital connectivity for north east india
• digital india program
• digital north east initiative
• digitization in northeast
• internet penetration in north east india
• sdg digital acceleration agenda

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