As more users in India are upgrading to 5G phones, the 5G subscriber base of the telcos is also changing considerably. Reliance Jio, the country's largest telecom operator, has deployed 5G SA (standalone) in almost every city and town. Jio's offering unlimited 5G, and so is its competitor Bharti Airtel. The 5G smartphone market in India is expected to surpass $50 billion in 2025, as per Counterpoint Research. This is going to directly impact (positive) the subscriber base of the telcos.
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Reliance Jio, in its latest quarterly performance report for Q3 FY25 said that its 5G subscriber count touched 170 million. This is higher than the number reported for previous quarters (130 million). Jio said that 40% of its wireless data traffic is on the 5G networks. Note that people who are recharging with the 2GB daily data plans are only entitled to receive the 5G unlimited data offer.
Thus, in the long-run, the higher the percentage of data consumption happens on the 5G layer, the better it is for Jio with the outlook of ARPU (average revenue per user). Jio has the largest 5G subscriber base in the country, and as more affordable 5G phones proliferate the Indian market, and people upgrade from 4G to 5G devices, Jio's 5G subscriber base will continue to grow.
Jio has the second-largest 5G subscriber base in the world with 170 million users. At the first rank stands a Chinese telecom operator.
