By the end of 2023, 5G subscriptions in India are anticipated to reach 130 million, as per the latest Ericsson Mobility Report from November 2023. Looking ahead to 2029, Ericsson predicts a substantial surge, estimating 860 million 5G subscriptions, constituting over 68% of total mobile subscriptions. Although 4G currently dominates the network landscape with 870 million subscriptions in 2023, this figure is projected to decrease to 390 million by 2029. The overall mobile subscriptions in India are anticipated to reach 1.27 billion in 2029, according to Ericsson.
Nitin Bansal, Head of Ericsson India, highlighted the company’s contribution to one of the world’s fastest 5G network deployments, emphasizing their support for India’s 5G journey. The rise in 5G subscriptions is expected to significantly elevate the average data consumption per user. Currently, India boasts the highest average data traffic per smartphone, set to increase from 31GB in 2023 to 75GB per month by 2029. The total mobile data traffic is projected to surge from 26EB in 2023 to 73EB in 2029.
Additionally, there is a predicted shift from feature phones to smartphones, with smartphone subscriptions as a percentage of total mobile subscriptions anticipated to grow from 82% in 2023 to 93% in 2029. Presently, 5G is being offered for free in India to 4G customers recharging with select prepaid plans.
As of now, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel are the two major Indian telcos that have launched 5G. Vodafone Idea is expected to join the 5G landscape in the future, expanding the reach of 5G subscriptions rapidly.
