New Delhi, Nov 6 (IANS): Even as broadband usage increases in India, a Deloitte-CII report has said that right of way (RoW) issues, cost of infrastructure deployment and access to affordable devices are major challenges holding back the potential growth and mass adoption of broadband in India.

The report noted that broadband penetration has grown at an impressive CAGR of 35 per cent in India over the past three years (2017-2020). However, the existing levels of broadband penetration in rural areas (29.1 per cent penetration) and fixed broadband penetration (7.5 per cent of Indian households) across the country offer significant opportunities for growth.

Considering the transformative impact of broadband across business, economy and the society, it is critical for India to exploit and harness this growth opportunity, said the report titled 'Broadband for Inclusive Development - Social, Economic, and Business'.

"Right of way issues, cost of infrastructure deployment, levels of digital literacy, access to affordable devices are some key challenges holding back the potential growth and mass adoption of broadband in India," it said.

As per the report, the government, telecom players, regulator, and all key stakeholders in the value chain contribute to addressing the challenges in the current broadband ecosystem.

It also added that the evolving ecosystem provides significant opportunities for telecom operators along both the wireless and fixed broadband solutions.

It said that expanding broadband access can lead to a fundamental advancement in the structure of the Indian economy, providing a significant boost to our knowledge-based economy status, where information can be shared without barriers with access to the internet.