India, Jan. 20 -- As the Union Budget 2026-27 approaches, telecom operators and the private space industry have urged the government to treat connectivity as strategic national infrastructure-spanning fibre networks and ground-based mobile radios, as well as satellites and ground systems in the orbit-to-earth layers.

In its budget expectations 2026 note for technology, media, and telecom, Deloitte India points out that the Union Budget for 2026-27 comes at a time of "sharp global trade tensions" and a revived debate around India's tariff profile, making cost competitiveness a key budget theme.

On its part, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has sought relief from levies and interventions under the Goods and Services Tax ...