India has around 1.2 billion active mobile connections and almost 450 million 5G connections, but the GSMA says the next stage is turning that reach into economic growth and digital trust.

The industry body launched three reports at India Mobile Congress 2026 in New Delhi on 7 October, covering India’s digital infrastructure, trust across Asia Pacific and consumer scams.

AI-ready networks and enterprise digitisation

The India Ecosystem Insight Report sets out three priorities: AI-ready networks, faster enterprise digitisation and digital trust. It says India’s AI plans will need high-capacity, secure and resilient networks, and that AI can in turn help with network planning, energy efficiency, cybersecurity and fraud detection. For businesses, it points to fixed wireless access, private networks, cloud connectivity, network APIs and cybersecurity services.

“Digital trust is not simply a safeguard. It is infrastructure for growth,” said Vivek Badrinath, Director General of the GSMA, in his keynote.

The second report, Digital Nations 2026, assessed 22 countries across infrastructure, innovation, data governance, security and people. It names four foundations for digital trust: verifiable identities, authentic communications, resilient networks and the responsible sharing of trusted information.

Scam victims often get no money back

The India Consumer Scam Report 2026 found that 12 per cent of respondents were scammed in the previous year, and 72 per cent said the growing risk of scams had changed their behaviour. Some 86 per cent of victims reported their case to an organisation, yet 33 per cent of reported cases remained unresolved and 67 per cent of victims who lost money recovered none of it.

Trust tracked outcomes. Among respondents whose cases were resolved, 88 per cent were comfortable with government using their data, against 64 per cent where cases stayed open. The report calls for faster resolution, better recovery and closer coordination between authorities, banks, mobile operators and digital platforms.

Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea support GSMA Open Gateway, which offers common technical frameworks for network APIs such as number verification and SIM swap signals. All three also belong to the GSMA-led Asia Pacific Cross Sector Anti Scam Taskforce, which has 39 organisations across 17 countries.

A bigger role in 6G standards

The GSMA added that India could play a larger part in shaping 6G standards. Operators and industry partners across Asia Pacific, including the Bharat 6G Alliance, have signed its Tokyo Accord, a commitment to open, interoperable and trusted digital ecosystems for 6G.