India and Ireland held a bilateral meeting in New Delhi to expand cooperation in telecommunications, digital infrastructure, emerging technologies, and regulatory collaboration. The discussion brought into light shared interests in building open, secure, resilient, and interoperable digital ecosystems, while also strengthening ties in trade, investment, and innovation.
Focus of the Bilateral Meeting
The talks brought together senior officials from India’s Department of Telecommunications and Ireland’s digital and public expenditure leadership. Both sides explored structured engagement between India’s telecom institutions and Ireland’s communications regulator, ComReg. The meeting also underlined the role of academia, startups, and industry in supporting future cooperation.
India’s Digital Transformation
India briefed the Irish side on its digital growth since 2014. Key points included:
- India has over 1.23 billion telecom subscribers.
- Nearly one billion people use the internet in the country.
- 5G coverage extends to about 99.9% of districts.
- Average data tariffs are around USD 0.10 per GB.
The Indian side also brought into light Digital Public Infrastructure, especially Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), as major tools for financial inclusion and efficient welfare delivery.
Digital Initiatives and Regulatory Cooperation
India shared details of DigiLocker, Digi Yatra, and Sanchar Saathi. Sanchar Saathi modules such as CEIR, CIOR, spam call alerts, and ASTRA were presented as examples of citizen-focused digital protection. The meeting also discussed cooperation in quantum communications, artificial intelligence, and regulatory innovation. India sought Ireland’s support for its candidature in upcoming International Telecommunication Union elections, including key positions and the hosting of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in 2030.
Ireland’s Broadband Experience and Next Steps
Ireland brought into light its National Broadband Plan and fibre rollout project, particularly for rural and remote areas. It also noted the contribution of the Indian community to Ireland’s economy and innovation ecosystem. Both sides agreed to continue cooperation through G2G, G2B, and B2B dialogues, with emphasis on capacity building, best-practice exchange, and stronger ICT partnerships.
Last Modified: April 28, 2026