India has emerged as the third-largest 5G user base globally and is on course to become a leading telecom superpower by the end of this decade, according to a senior executive of the London-based GSM Association (GSMA). “India already ranks third in global 5G usage and is well-positioned to become one of the top telecom superpowers by 2030. The government’s push for digital transformation is crucial in its pursuit of becoming the world’s third-largest economy by 2030,” said Julian Gorman, Head of Asia Pacific at GSMA.
Leading telecom operators Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have completed their nationwide 5G rollouts this year and are offering commercial 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) services. Vodafone Idea (Vi), India’s third-largest telco, is gearing up to launch its commercial 5G services soon. As per recent government data, telecom operators have installed approximately 4.48 lakh base stations, with 3.03 lakh already fiberized. Industry data suggests that by the end of the decade, nearly half of India’s population (49%) will be using 5G technology.
GSMA projects that India will spearhead the second wave of global 5G deployment, driving economic benefits across sectors such as manufacturing and fintech. India is also one of the seven Asia Pacific countries leading in the deployment of standalone 5G networks, offering developers new opportunities to create innovative mobile applications. The country now boasts over 1.2 billion smartphone connections, ranking among the top three smartphone markets in the Asia Pacific, with projected adoption reaching 95% by 2030.
Jio, India’s largest telecom operator, has deployed over a million 5G cell sites for its standalone network and is leveraging network slicing technology to serve dedicated services, including gaming, high-security applications, and FWA customers. GSMA further noted that India is poised to become a leader in the Asia Pacific’s licensed cellular Internet of Things (IoT) market, which is expected to double in size by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9%.
