History of Internet In India

Pre 2000

India began its internet journey in 1986 with the Educational Research Network (ERNET), only made available to educational and research institutions. Today, 1100 institutes are ERNET users under different schemes.

In the same year Mahanagar Telephone Nigam is created by the government to oversee telephone services in Delhi and Mumbai.

The first publicly available internet service was launched by Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL), starting with Laxmi Nagar, Delhi 15 August 1995

In 1998, India gets its first private ISP, Satyamonline. It is inaugurated by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The 2000's

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is founded by the government on 15 September 2000.

In 2004, a government policy is formulated to provide broadband services. It defines broadband as "an always-on Internet connection with a download speed of 256 kbit/s or above."

Since 2005, BSNL and MTNL have been providing services throughout the country, even going to the most remote regions of the nation. They offer dial-up connections with maximum speed of 256kbit/s. The connections are very stable, and the speed is very reliable.

The 2010's

In 2010, the government auctions of the 3G spectrum followed by the 4G spectrum to improve internet speed. There are multiple scandals of government corruption that come to light due to these auctions, which end up being one of the key factors for the fall of the then ruling party in the next elections.

Private players slowly start entering the market and offering better options then the ones provided by the government. Almost all of them stick to dense urban centres. Some of them are Spectrum, Hathway, ACT. In the wireless space there are Airtel and TATA DOCOMO.

In 2013, the minimum speed requirement for broadband connection is set to 512kbit/s.

In 2016, Reliance launches JIO, offering very cheap internet access to people costing less than a dollar for a gigabyte of data, starting a price war. Over the next few years most telecom giants struggle due to the competition, merging with each other or going bankrupt.

These new cheap mobile plans introduce large hordes of people to the internet. This easy access to internet paves way for UPI and other online services, elevating lives of millions of people. This cheap access will also play a crucial role in the coronavirus pandemic as a very strict lockdown was enforced in India, people stayed at home and attended to work/school online, majority through mobile phones.

In 2020, WANI policy was launched, aimed at increasing internet connectivity throughout the country.

References

Rediff On The Net, Infotech: Vajpayee inaugurates Satyamonline, first private ISP. (n.d.). https://m.rediff.com/computer/1998/nov/24satyam.htm

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahanagar_Telephone_Nigam_Limited

Wikipedia contributors. (2024, April 25). ERNET. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ERNET

Wikipedia contributors. (2025a, February 19). Telecommunications in India. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_in_India

Wikipedia contributors. (2025b, February 20). Internet in India. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_in_India

Wikipedia contributors. (2025c, March 4). BSNL. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BSNL