With the National Highways Authorityof India (NHAI) spearheading an ambitious plan to lay around 10,000 kilometres of optical fibre cable (OFC) along national highways and expressways, the country is building “digital highways” that promise to be as transformative as the road networks themselves.

This bold initiative—being implemented by National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML), a special-purpose vehicle under NHAI—marks a critical upgrade in the infrastructure backbone of India’s digital ecosystem.

By integrating “utility corridors” into expressway design, the government is not simply chasing roads anymore; it is reimagining highways as conduits of high-speed connectivity.

Highways that do more than just connect cities

The plan identifies major expressways—such as 1,367 km of the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway and 512 km on the Hyderabad–Bengaluru corridor—as pilot routes.

These corridors are being outfitted with dedicated three-meter-wide utility lanes, specifically designed to carry optical fibre cables alongside the physical infrastructure of the highway.

One of the earliest implementations includes the recently inaugurated 246-km Delhi–Dausa–Lalsot section of the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway, which now hosts a fibre-optic utility corridor to support future telecom technologies.

This is not just an add-on — it's the backbone for rolling out next-generation connectivity such as 5G and, on the drawing board, 6G.

Plug-and-play connectivity for all

Once laid, the OFC network along highways is expected to operate on a “plug-and-play” or “fibre-on-demand” model, giving telecom companies, internet service providers, and other enterprises access to high-speed infrastructure almost instantly.

Allocation of fibre capacity will happen through an open-access web portal, under fixed-price allotment terms. This open model means that even new or smaller internet service providers can tap into this infrastructure without building it from scratch.

This approach is poised to revolutionise how broadband is delivered. With the fibre already in place along expressways that thread through rural and remote regions, service providers can expand quickly, increase coverage, and bring high-speed internet to areas often left out of traditional infrastructure rollouts.

Fuelling India’s 5G—and beyond—ambitions

Deploying this fibre infrastructure is a crucial enabler for emerging telecom technologies.

As NHAI and NHLML build out these digital highways, they are essentially laying the groundwork for India’s 5G and future 6G network expansion.

This telecom-ready infrastructure along highways not only improves broadband access but also supports advanced use cases like connected mobility, smart logistics, IoT-enabled highways, and real-time traffic management.

These use cases could reshape how people travel, how goods move, and how cities and industries manage their operations.

Bridging the digital divide

One of the most promising impacts of this initiative is digital inclusion. By bringing fibre along expressways that often traverse rural hinterlands, the project aims to connect communities that previously suffered from poor or non-existent high-speed internet.

In many parts of India, lack of connectivity has hindered access to education, telemedicine, e-governance, and digital work opportunities.

By embedding fibre in national highways, the government is turning frequently travelled routes into digital lifelines.

That means better internet access for remote towns, new opportunities for digital entrepreneurship, and far wider access to government services and education through online platforms.

Smart corridors, smarter futures

The digital highway project aligns with broader national priorities. Through its “Vision 2047” roadmap, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways seeks not only to enhance physical infrastructure but also to deepen the digital capabilities of the road network.

Under this vision, highways will become multi-layered corridors—combining road quality, digital connectivity, and logistics efficiency.

At the same time, the government’s GatiShakti National Master Plan brings together 16 ministries on a unified digital platform to plan and execute projects like these more efficiently—leveraging geospatial data, satellite imagery, and big-data analytics.

By dovetailing these initiatives, India is building infrastructure that is holistic: physical, digital, and future-proof.

The road ahead

As OFC laying continues on the pilot routes, the progress is already visible. Once completed, these digital highways will serve the dual functions of road infrastructure and high-speed digital pipelines.

Companies will be able to lease fibre capacity, telecom players will expand 5G and 6G coverage faster, and remote communities will gain more reliable, high-speed connectivity.

Together, NHAI and NHLML are not just building roads—they are constructing the digital backbone of a new India. One where connectivity empowers lives, enables businesses, and bridges divides.

As physical expressways grow in length and quality across the country, so too will the digital pathways that now run alongside them—paving the way for a truly connected, future-ready India.