India’s 5G Data Usage Surpasses 4G Data Usage by Four Times
5G users in India will use about 3.6 times more mobile data compared to 4G after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched it in October 2022, a report showed on Wednesday.
The average monthly data traffic per user also increased by 24 percent from the previous year in 2023 and was 24.1 gigabytes per user per month.
India’s 5G device ecosystem is developing rapidly, with about 17 percent of active 4G devices, totaling 134 million out of 796 million, now 5G-ready. “5G data consumption has been four times faster than 4G in India,” says the Nokia Mobile Broadband Index report.
In 2023, users consumed 17.4 exabytes per month, with a CAGR of 26 percent over the past five years.
The launch of 5G has emerged as a significant catalyst for the growth of data usage, and its share of all data traffic in 2023 was 15 percent, research results showed.
“What is immediately apparent is the incredible penetration of 5G technology in India and the growing demand for ultra-fast 5G data speeds,” said Tarun Chhabra, Head of Mobile Networks Business, Nokia (India).
5G traffic has shown significant growth in all telecom circles, with metro circles leading the charge and achieving a 20 percent share of all mobile data traffic.
Improved 5G availability and performance, combined with the availability of a wide range of affordable devices and the introduction of new data-intensive applications and services, will accelerate future 5G growth, the report showed.
The report states that the rise of 5G fixed wireless usage (FWA) will also be 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.
