India is the country with the fastest 5G adoption rate globally. It has a lot to do with how the telcos are offering it basically for free, even after more than three years of launch. Airtel was the first to announce the launch of 5G, but Jio, which launched 5G around the same time, has gone much ahead in coverage. Even a recent TRAI (telecom regulatory authority of India) report suggested that Jio is the best operator to choose 5G from in Mumbai. Now, according to the government data, the overall 5G subscriber base in India has surpassed 400 million users.
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In its recent quarterly report, Jio said that it has more than 250 million 5G users across India. This data is for the end of December 2025 quarter. India stands second in the global list for the country with the most 5G users. China is at the top with more than a billion users. According to Ericsson's latest report, India will surpass one billion 5G users in 2031.
For now, the 5G user base and ecosystem is growing rapidly in India. With the entry of affordable 5G phones in the market and a fast device refresh cycle, more and more users are latching to 5G for the first time every quarter that goes by. The telcos have also covered most parts of India with their 5G networks. Vodafone Idea (Vi) has also started rolling out 5G in newer cities and circles. BSNL is the only operator which doesn't have 5G services live yet.
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However, in the near future, even BSNL is expected to switch on 5G, that too using homegrown technology. As for Jio and Airtel, their efforts are now focused on ramping up 4G coverage in rural areas of the country.
