5G to Constitute Over 50% of Mobile Subscriptions in India by 2028: Report

With the 5G launch in India, the country is looking at faster-speed networks that facilitate the digital economy to venture out into new avenues of opportunity. Many experts since the official launch have estimated that the cumulative economic impact of 5G connectivity in India to be around $1 trillion by 2035. There have been many reports and studies that support this estimate too including the latest Ericsson Mobility Report which also adds to the projections with its findings. According to the report, 5G connections will cover more than 50 per cent of total mobile phone connections in India by 2028. Let’s find out what else this report says in detail.

The report further states that the total number of 5G connections in India will cross the critical point of one billion by the end of the year 2022. And by the end of 2028, the same number will be more than five billion in India.

Amongst the other forecasts highlighted in the report, it was reported that Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) connections in India will cross the 300 million mark. In the projections, this 300 million FWA connections estimate includes more than 80 per cent of 5G connections.

The report further highlighted that taking into account an international view of the 5G connections, the service is already live in almost all regions. The difference will be made by how service providers will ultimately decide to roll out the 5G service in different parts of the country, which also is dependent on multiple factors as of now. The report stated, “5G mid-band population coverage for example, which is essential for an optimal 5G service offering and user experience, is deployed at different paces in different markets. It has reached 25 per cent population coverage globally, but front-runner markets like the US have already reached 80 per cent.”

The Head of Ericsson India and Head of Network Solutions for Southeast Asia, Oceania and India, Nitin Bansal, while referencing the recent report, said, “5G will play a crucial role in achieving India’s digital inclusion goals, especially in bringing broadband to rural and remote homes. In fact, enhanced mobile broadband is serving as the foundation for the Government’s ‘Digital India’ vision by enabling people to access public services.”

Moreover, the average smartphone data traffic currently is the highest in India as compared to the rest of the world. The average monthly data consumption per smartphone user in India will cross 19 GB by the end of 2023.

Meanwhile, the report also shared interesting estimates for the 4G connections in India. As per the report, 4G connections will increase to around 930 million by the end of 2024. However, the previous generation technology will start registering a decline by 2028 to an estimated 570 million.

Bansal further said, “Mobile networks continue to play a pivotal role in driving social and economic inclusion. Enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and fixed wireless access (FWA) are expected to be the early use cases for 5G in India which will help address the concern of the limited fixed broadband penetration levels in the country and improve the data experience while on the move.”