The World Investment Report 2025 on ‘International investment in the digital economy’, a United Nations publication issued by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, has presented a contrasting picture in global investment. The global foreign direct investments are falling, infrastructure investment is slowing and industrial investment is under strain, but investment in the digital economy, though uneven, has recorded spectacular growth. States like Assam, which is striving to leverage the digital economy to accelerate growth and progress, have the required digital infrastructure and ecosystem that are critical to unlocking its potential. The Ministry of Communication undertaking investment worth Rs 4,000 crore to strengthen Assam’s telecom infrastructure is a pointer to initiatives taken by the central government to bridge the digital divide. Official data shows that 2,285 Gaon Panchayats in the state have already been connected to broadband under the BharatNet project, with plans to expand internet coverage to 25,000 villages. Fast-tracking the projects to connect remote villages with 4G and 5G networks will be vital to ensure that the growth of the digital economy is inclusive. Establishment of one 5G Use Application Service in every block across Assam, as planned by the central government, is aimed at making available advanced digital solutions for providing access to telemedicine and tele-education, etc., even in the most remote villages. While the state continues to be gripped by a sharp rural-urban divide in tele-density, a steady increase in rural tele-density and accounting for nearly 60% of the rural population brightens hope for further increases in digital users. Gradual adaptation of the digital payment ecosystem among small traders and buyers, its spread among MSMEs in rural areas, rising popularity of social media among the rural population, availability of cheaper data plans, and flexibility in language use in content creation in Assamese and other vernacular languages are some of the key factors behind steady growth in internet use in rural Assam. Rising internet use has also raised pertinent questions about the quality of content created and distributed across digital platforms. The government and society have collective responsibility for ensuring that the rising number of internet users do not remain mere consumers of cheaper-quality content created and distributed among them by various digital platforms and social media users, but that they learn to use the digital access to leverage the growth of the digital economy. Imparting digital literacy to internet users assumes great significance to empower the digital users to be active stakeholders in the digital economy. Establishment of smart classrooms in each educational institution is essential to open the window of endless opportunities brought by the application of digital solutions in imparting quality education and pursuing non-traditional career goals for students and youths across the state. Digital empowerment of students and youths can ignite dreams of innovative digital solutions and entrepreneurship, startup ideas and getting connected to the global digital economy. Access to quality education on digital technology access and use will also create the ecosystem for grooming the brightest among them to become Artificial Intelligence entrepreneurs and innovate new startup ideas to attract global investment into the state in AI use and application for shaping the future growth trajectory and find innovative solutions to various problems, including floods and climate disasters, and create AI-powered tools and solutions to address those and increase resilience against climate change impacts. The state government keeping track of global investments coming to various states in India will help set the priorities for its own digital economy. The policy on digital technology use and applications of the state being dynamic in nature is essential to ensure that the state can keep pace with the national and global trends in digital technology development and investment priorities in the digital economy. For digital transformation to take place in the state, it is essential that internet users are trained in different aspects of the digital economy, including its innovative use in agriculture, handloom and textile marketing, apart from creating a talent pool of AI and robotics specialists who will play the lead role in making the state a global digital hub leveraging the proximity of the state and the Northeast region to vibrant economies in the neighbourhood which have witnessed a surge in global investment in the digital economy. Panchayats and local bodies in Sixth Schedule areas can be roped in and made key stakeholders in the state’s digital economy through harnessing the advantage brought by the spread of broadband and internet availability in panchayats and remote areas. Adoption of e-governance and creation of e-panchayats have already laid the foundation of digital empowerment of elected representatives of local bodies in the state. Establishing more public Wi-Fi hotspots in rural Assam will enable the elected representatives to make use of digital literacy imparted through training programmes. Assam taking a giant leap in digital access and empowerment, more particularly in rural areas to unlock its digital economy potential in all spheres, is a strategic necessity.