5G adoption in India is growing rapidly. The expansion of 5G networks, availability of affordable 5G FWA customer premises equipment (CPE) and high data consumption from FWA users is fueling the data traffic growth in India, according Ericsson’s Mobility Report (EMR) 2025. The report noted that 5G FWA allows for rapid deployment of broadband services to homes and businesses, especially in rural and semi-urban areas where fiber optic cable installation is slow and expensive, and is helping to bridge the digital divide.
Also Read: 5G Has Not Led to Any Monetisation, Anywhere in the World: Airtel MD
Growth in 5G Subscriptions
In the India, Nepal and Bhutan region, Ericsson's Report highlighted that "5G subscriptions are expected to reach 394 million at the end of 2025, accounting for 32 percent of total mobile subscriptions. More than 1 billion 5G subscriptions are expected by the end of 2031, reaching 79 percent subscription penetration."
"4G is currently the dominant subscription type, making up 49 percent of total mobile subscriptions. 4G subscriptions are forecast to decline from around 600 million in 2025 to around 190 million in 2031, as subscribers migrate to 5G," it noted.
Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel currently serve over 350 million 5G subscribers in India, and both offer commercial 5G fixed broadband services. The third private operator, Vodafone Idea (Vi), has deployed 5G in 29 cities across its 17 priority circles.
Mobile data traffic per active smartphone in the India, Nepal, and Bhutan region is 36 GB per month in 2025—the highest globally—and is projected to rise to 65 GB per month by 2031. The global average mobile data traffic per active smartphone in 2025 is 21 GB per month.
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Mobile Data Traffic Drivers
In general, Ericsson attributes the growth in mobile data traffic per smartphone to several drivers: improved device capabilities, affordable service plans, increased time spent consuming services, an increase in data-intensive content, and growth in data consumption due to continued improvements in deployed network performance.
"In India, traffic growth increased year-on-year, supported by improved device capabilities," the report highlighted. Globally, the share of mobile data carried over 5G is forecast to rise from 34 percent at the end of 2024 to 43 percent by the end of 2025, reaching 83 percent in 2031.
Global 5G Subscriptions by 2031
Ericsson underlined that 5G subscription uptake continues at pace, with totals expected to reach 2.9 billion by the end of 2025, accounting for one-third of all mobile subscriptions. "Global 5G subscriptions are forecast to reach 6.4 billion in 2031 and will make up two-thirds of all mobile subscriptions."
FWA Connections
The report noted that during Q2 2025, Jio became the world’s largest FWA provider in terms of the number of connections, with 9.5 million connections as of Q3 2025. "There is robust demand for FWA in India, with the combined number of connections from Jio and Airtel reaching 12 million as of September 2025."
Globally, FWA broadband is expected to serve 1.4 billion people by 2031, with 90 percent delivered over 5G networks. The report noted that markets with strong FWA growth—such as the US and India—excel in both 5G deployment maturity and FWA monetization maturity.
No 5G Monetisation Anywhere in the World
However, in Airtel’s Q2 FY26 earnings call, Gopal Vittal, MD of Bharti Airtel and chair of the GSMA, said, "One of the pain points in the telecom world across the globe is that 5G has not lived its promise of what it was meant to. The primary use case of 5G is only speed, and now it is just a more efficient way of producing the same gigabyte, it is a more efficient way of doing it, but it has not led to any monetisation, anywhere in the world."
“5G is already serving as the critical infrastructure for driving digitalisation in the country,” said Nitin Bansal, MD of Ericsson India, according to multiple media reports, including ETTelecom and Business Standard on November 20, 2025.
“We see that service providers around the world are keen to embrace and deploy 5G SA to offer differentiated connectivity based on value services and not just data volume packages,” EMR publisher and Ericsson CTO, Erik Ekudden, says. “As reflected in the case studies in this EMR edition, 5G SA is already enabling differentiated connectivity opportunities. We’ve seen many service providers go from proof-of-concept to commercial deployment in 2025 alone, and we expect to see that trend continuing.”
"By the end of this year, 5G subscriptions are expected to reach 2.9 billion – about one-third of all mobile subscriptions globally. During 2025, an additional 400 million people worldwide will have 5G coverage. The share of traffic carried over 5G continues to rise, and in 2031, over 1.2 billion people globally will be served by 5G Fixed Wireless Access-based broadband. 5G services are affecting people’s lives around the world," Ericsson's Chief Technology Officer said.
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Commercial 6G in India
The November 2025 report noted that "India has been vocal in its ambition to lead in 6G technology, and it is expected that the timing of the commercial 6G launch compared to other countries will happen earlier than it did for 5G."
The report also included early forecasts for 6G, with the first commercial deployments expected in front-runner markets such as the US, Japan, South Korea, China, India, and some Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
According to the report, global 6G subscriptions are forecast to reach 180 million by the end of 2031, not including the early uptake of AI-enabled Internet of Things devices. The subscription uptake number could increase significantly if 6G launches earlier than previous cycles indicate.
The Swedish telecom gear maker noted that "in Europe, the launch of commercial 6G services is anticipated to be about one year later, relative to other countries, than was the case for 5G, due to the later rollout of 5G SA."
5G Use Case
According to the report, Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) broadband continues to grow as a key 5G use case. The November 2025 EMR forecasts that about 1.4 billion people globally are expected to access FWA broadband by the end of 2031—90 percent via 5G.
EMR researchers have identified 159 providers that currently offer FWA services via 5G, amounting to approximately 65 percent of all FWA service providers. The number of service providers offering speed-based tariffs—a common monetization model for fixed broadband via fiber or cable—has increased from 43 percent to 54 percent since the November 2024 EMR.
5G SA Use Case Highlights
The report also highlighted use cases including: how 5G standalone (SA) is helping Singtel unlock opportunities by providing tailored experiences; a discussion in collaboration with SoftBank Corp. on how 5G can modernize enterprise IT; and a case study on how 5G is enhancing operations and viewer experiences at global SailGP events.
Ericsson noted that the Mobility Report has been the key industry reference for network data, performance, statistics, and forecasts since its launch in 2011.
