HYDERABAD: Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) released the Digital India 2019 report, which stated that Telangana has reached the internet connectivity of just 31 per cent. Despite various efforts of the Government of Telangana to create a mark for the state in Information and Technology (IT) space and also installing the proper infrastructure by improving the online network, the state has ranked significantly low in the data. Telangana is found to be the lowest in the southern states and one of the lowest in the country with respect to the internet penetration.
According to the report, in southern states Kerala has recorded the internet penetration of 54 per cent, Tamil Nadu 47 per cent, Karnataka 39 per cent and 31 per cent both in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Srinivas Kodali, Data Security Researcher, said that almost 40 per cent of the population lives in Hyderabad and most of the population lives in urban areas. He added that the main issue is the rural connectivity which will improve as the state is trying to install fiber optic cables to improve the connectivity.
Moreover, various states which are the major drivers of internet connectivity in the country such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have showed a significant increase in the internet penetration comparing to the numbers of March 2019 and November 2019. Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, Department of Industries and Commerce and IT, said that the state has begun the T-Fiber (Telangana Fiber Grid Project) to increase the internet penetration in rural areas. He added that the project is in the final stage which will improve the percentage of internet connectivity once completed.