India had 131 million 5G users as of December 2023, that were using 3.6 times the data being consumed when they had 4G connectivity, data from Nokia Mobile Broadband Index report revealed. This data consumption is set to soar as the number of 5G users is expected to nearly quadruple to 575 million in two years.
The transition from 4G to 5G will be swift, as has been seen in 2023, where number of 4G subscribers as a share of overall data subscriber base has come down to 724 million against 787 million the year before.
Telcos have already set up 5G networks across the country, leading to 14.8% of the data traffic coming from 5G in 2023, versus 1.7% in 2022. The 5G services were officially launched in India in October 2022. The 5G device ecosystem in India is rapidly evolving, with approximately 17% of active 4G devices, totalling 134 million out of 796 million, now being 5G capable. Active 5G capable devices are expected to reach 158 million by the end of this month.
The 5G traffic has shown substantial growth across all telecom circles, with metro circles leading the charge and reaching a 20% share in the overall mobile data traffic.
In 2023, users consumed 17.4 exabytes per month with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26% over the past five years. The average monthly data traffic per user also surged by 24% year-on-year in 2023, reaching 24.1 gigabytes per user per month.
Enhanced 5G availability and performance, coupled with the availability of wide range of affordable devices, as well as the introduction of new data-intensive apps and services, will accelerate future 5G growth.
The rise of 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) will also serve as a key enabler for new services in both the home and business with FWA users expected to consume an estimated 2.5 times more data than average 5G users.
“What is immediately obvious is the incredible proliferation of 5G technology across India and the increasing demand for super-fast 5G data speeds. Nokia looks forward to continuing to work hand-in-hand with our operator partners to help them meet customer demand,” said Tarun Chhabra, head of mobile networks business at Nokia (India).
The Nokia MBiT 2024 report also highlights that the years leading up to 2030 will produce major shifts in technology, leading to new opportunities and a digitized and programmable world. The key technology themes shaping the world in 2030 will include the Metaverse, AI/ML, Cloud, and Web 3.0 among others.
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Published: 20 Mar 2024, 02:12 PM IST