NATIONS, NETWORKS, NARRATIVES : World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2025

Curated by Anirban Sarma

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) was set up in 2006, merging two older annual UN observances—the World Telecommunication Day, which had been celebrated since 1969 to mark the founding of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the World Information Society Day, which was established in 2005 to underscore the growing importance of ICTs.

In the 20 years since, WTISD has become an occasion to reflect on the impact of the ever- unfolding digital revolution on nations and people; the far-reaching implications of telecom networks that crisscross the globe; and the narratives of change wrought by the millions of infrastructures, services and applications built atop these networks.

This essay series offers a snapshot of where information societies stand today. It opens by examining Indian efforts to reimagine connectivity at a time when some 2.6 billion individuals worldwide are still offline. It then shifts focus to the global race for 6G leadership and the transformative impact of AI on next-generation telecom networks. At its core are four essays that address the central theme of WTISD 2025: “gender equality in digital transformation”. They investigate women’s participation in the digital care economy; analyse the femtech industry’s prospects and challenges; argue for bridging the gender gap around digital payments; and introspect about the data gaps that hinder women’s digital inclusion. The series ends with a niche piece exploring India’s ambition of becoming a semiconductor manufacturing hub.