India's 5G BTS (Base Transceiver Station) count crossed 450,000 mark in July 2024. At the end of June 2024, it stood at 448,709. A month later, at the end of July 2024, it stood at 452,055. This means an addition of 3346 BTS. Every state saw sites count go up marginally in 5G domain. Jio has deployed most of the 5G BTS in India as it is deploying 5G SA (standalone). Airtel didn't need to do this as it is deploying 5G NSA (non-standalone). The overall BTS site count will keep going up, but it will slowdown now as telcos have moderated 5G capex.
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It will be interesting to see when Vodafone Idea (Vi) starts rolling out 5G and picks up pace, as that will have an effect on the 5G BTS count. India still has a long way to go for achieving blanket 5G coverage. BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) will also look to upgrade its 4G to 5G in 2025. The state-run telecom company will also go for 5G NSA (non-standalone), as will Vodafone Idea.
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Reliance Jio will be the only telecom operator offer 5G SA services to mobile customers for the forseeable future. Bharti Airtel's management has confirmed that they are also rolling out 5G SA, but it will be reserved for FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) or AirFiber customers only. 5G has spread in almost every town and city of the country. The work to spread its coverage is now going on. The main challenge for the telcos is to monetise 5G and get a return on their investment quickly. That will be crucial for the operators and their returns in the short-term future. The current pace is what we will likely see in the coming months for the addition of 5G BTS.
