PM Modi Calls for Global System to Fight Cyber Fraud and Deepfakes as India Pushes for Greater International Cooperation on Digital Security:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (October 8, 2026) called for a global system to fight cyber fraud and deepfakes, saying that digital crimes are no longer limited to one country and need joint action.

Speaking at the inauguration of the 10th edition of the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026, Modi said governments, technology companies, telecom operators and financial institutions must work together to prevent digital fraud. He urged the global telecom industry, including the GSMA, to create a system that can identify and stop fraud before it reaches ordinary users.

Modi said technology can grow on a large scale only when people trust it. He pointed out that a criminal sitting in one country can work with someone in another country to target a victim in a third country. He also warned that deepfakes have emerged as a major challenge.

India targets 1 billion 5G users by 2030

Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said India plans to increase its 5G user base from around 550 million to 1 billion by 2030. He said India, which was behind other countries in 4G, is now determined to take the lead in 6G technology.

Scindia said the Bharat 6G Alliance, which includes around 90 institutions, has developed 7,700 patents, including 4,400 international patents. “We were behind the world in 4G. We marched with the world on 5G. But it is our resolve that we will lead the world on 6G,” he said.

He also said the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has accepted India's proposal to host its Plenipotentiary Conference in 2030. India had hosted the ITU's World Telecommunication Standardisation Assembly (WTSA) in 2024.

Scindia highlighted India's rapid growth in telecom services since the first IMC in 2017. Broadband users have increased from around 60 million to more than 1.1 billion, while the country now has about 1.35 billion mobile customers.

The cost of 1 GB of mobile data has also fallen sharply, from around Rs 268 in 2014 to just Rs 8 today, making India one of the world's cheapest markets for mobile data.

UPI and BharatNet expansion

Scindia said UPI now accounts for 84% of India's digital transactions, while India handles about 49% of the world's digital transactions. UPI processes around 260 billion transactions every year, worth nearly $3.4 trillion, and its technology has been adopted by 11 other countries.

He said the government's $15-billion BharatNet programme will provide middle-mile internet connectivity to nearly 2.6 lakh gram panchayats. It will also provide on-demand connectivity to another 3.8 lakh villages, with the aim of offering 100 Mbps connections to homes where required.

Mobile manufacturing grows

Scindia also highlighted the growth of India's mobile phone manufacturing industry. The sector, which was worth around $2-3 billion in 2014, has now grown to about $63 billion.

India is now the world's second-largest mobile phone producer, while mobile phone exports have reached nearly $29 billion, he said.