Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has revealed that the cost of making a one-minute phone call in India has plummeted by 94% since 2014. Speaking at a recent event, Scindia highlighted that in 2014, users paid 50 paise per minute for a call, whereas today, the cost has dropped to just 3 paise per minute.
A major catalyst for this dramatic decline was the entry of Jio, which disrupted the market by offering free calling and data during its initial rollout. This forced competitors to slash their tariffs to retain subscribers, leading to an overall reduction in telecom costs across India.
Massive Surge in Mobile and Internet Penetration
Scindia also emphasized the exponential growth in mobile and internet users over the past decade. In 2014, India had 90 crore mobile subscribers, a number that has surged to 116 crore today. Similarly, internet penetration has skyrocketed from 25 crore users in 2014 to 97.44 crore in 2025, marking a significant digital transformation.
Data Costs Drop by 93%
The cost of broadband data has witnessed an equally steep decline. According to Scindia, in 2014, 1GB of broadband data cost Rs 270, whereas today, the cost has dropped to just Rs 9.70 per GB—a staggering 93% reduction.
5G Investments and Tariff Adjustments
Despite the significant reduction in telecom costs, Scindia acknowledged that telecom operators recently increased tariffs by around 10% to offset the massive investments made in 5G deployment. He stated that telecom players have invested nearly Rs 4.5 lakh crore to roll out 5G infrastructure across India. The minister emphasized that while affordability remains key, operators also need a return on investment to sustain advancements in the sector.
