Last-mile Digital Connectivity

• Last-mile digital connectivity = bridging the final access gap between the backbone network and the end-user (household / GP / mobile subscriber), especially in rural, border, and aspirational districts.
• Flagship vehicles: BharatNet (broadband to Gram Panchayats) and the 4G Saturation Project (mobile towers in uncovered villages), bankrolled by the Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) under the Telecommunications Act, 2023.
• UPSC relevance: GS-II (governance, welfare delivery), GS-III (infrastructure, digital economy, internal security in border areas).