5G rollout is happening at a rapid pace in India, and from 2024, the overall 4G subscriptions are expected to reach peak numbers and then start declining from there. According to the latest Ericsson Mobility report, global 5G subscriptions are expected to reach 5.6 billion globally by 2029. In India, this figure could touch 840 million.
Ericsson said that in the India, Nepal, and Bhutan regions, the total 5G subscriptions by 2029 can reach 840 million. Indian telcos are currently offering 5G at no additional cost to customers with 4G plans. This has driven the 5G adoption in the country.
Read More - Vodafone Idea in Active Discussions with Samsung for 4G-5G Deployment
"Due to intensive 5G network deployments, widespread coverage and availability of affordable 5G services in the country, 5G subscriptions in India reached around 119 million by the end of 2023," said Ericsson.
Only Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio have rolled out commercial 5G services at the moment. Vodafone Idea Limited has managed to raise funds and will be looking to do the same in the future. That will further propel the number of 5G users in the country.
"5G subscriptions are expected to reach around 840 million by the end of 2029, accounting for 65 percent of mobile subscriptions in the region," Ericsson said in the report.
Read More - Vodafone Idea is Offering 30GB of Extra Data with this Plan
In India, while 5G is offered for free to the mobile customers, the only way telcos are monetising it is through FWA (Fixed Wireless Access). Airtel has launched Airtel Xstream AirFiber in 27 cities while Jio is offering Jio AirFiber services in close to 7000 cities and towns.
"Enhanced mobile broadband and FWA are emerging as initial 5G use cases. Total mobile subscriptions in the region are estimated to grow from 1.2 billion in 2023 to 1.3 billion in 2029," Ericsson added.
4G is the dominant network technology right now. However, with time, as more affordable 5G phones make it to the market, 5G will take over.
