India's next telecom battle may be fought on roads
Live Events Road safety is only half the story Could roads become connected networks? The technology choice that changes the power equation The real prize
Live Events Road safety is only half the story Could roads become connected networks? The technology choice that changes the power equation The real prize may not be connectivity The long game as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Addas a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now! (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel For decades, India's telecom wars have been fought over spectrum auctions, mobile towers and data tariffs.The next one could be fought on highways. Buried within a 263-page consultation paper titled the Regulatory Framework for Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) Communication released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is a question that extends far beyond connected cars and road safety: who will control the digital infrastructure of India's future mobility ecosystem?At the heart of the debate is Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) technology, which allows vehicles to communicate with one another, roadside infrastructure, pedestrians, emergency services and communication networks in real time.While the immediate goal is safer and more efficient transportation, the long-term implications are much broader.The government's preferred approach, Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X), relies on the same cellular technologies that underpin modern telecom networks. As vehicles become connected endpoints and highways increasingly incorporate communication infrastructure, mobility itself begins to resemble a digital network.While currently only a consultation proposal, the measure could ultimately redefine traditional industry boundaries.Will telecom operators become the backbone of India's future transport systems? Will automakers retain control over the connected vehicle experience? Or will software, cloud and AI platforms ultimately emerge as the most powerful players in the ecosystem?For some industry observers, the answers are already beginning to take shape."Functionally, this is India’s first serious attempt at telecom-led mobility architecture," Aditya Khaitan, Partner and Leader – Centre for Innovation & Technology at Deloitte India, told ET Online."The paper positions Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (CV2X) as the preferred approach leveraging existing 4G/5G networks.
Imagine this as the new access layer of telecom networks or a national machine-to-machine communication grid equivalent to BharatNet, UPI or a smart grid for energy; but for real-time physical mobility systems."The comparison may sound ambitious. Yet TRAI's consultation paper lays out the building blocks for a future in which vehicles, roads, traffic systems and cloud platforms communicate continuously with one another, creating a new digital layer that could become as critical to mobility as telecom networks are to communications today.Officially, the consultation paper focuses on Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communications: technologies that allow vehicles to communicate with other vehicles, roadside infrastructure, pedestrians and communication networks.The paper follows a reference from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) dated December 1, 2025, seeking recommendations on spectrum allocation, licensing frameworks and pricing mechanisms for V2X deployments, particularly roadside communications infrastructure.The government's immediate objective is clear.India's automotive sector contributes 7.1% of GDP and nearly 49% of manufacturing GDP. The country's road network stretches across 67 lakh kilometres, including 1.46 lakh kilometres of Highways, while the road freight market exceeds $150 billion.At the same time, India continues to grapple with a road-safety crisis.According to figures cited in the consultation paper, the country recorded around 1.73 lakh road fatalities and 4.63 lakh injuries from road accidents in 2023. TRAI notes that roughly 92% of accidents stem from failures in human recognition and decision-making, distractions, delayed reactions, speeding or misjudgment.The regulator's argument is that vehicles increasingly need to communicate with the world around them rather than relying solely on drivers and onboard safety systems.But industry experts believe the consultation is simultaneously creating something much larger."India is using transport as an entry point, but structurally designing a telecom-led digital infrastructure layer embedded into roads," Khaitan said.That distinction may ultimately prove more consequential than the road-safety benefits themselves.As per sources, stakeholders have submitted significant inputs at this stage of the consultation.
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