T-Mobile US has said its recent nationwide deployment of 5G Advanced could offer important learnings for Indian telecom operators as they look to enhance 5G capabilities and monetisation. The company also noted that non-terrestrial networks (NTN) will remain complementary to terrestrial mobile infrastructure, especially in markets with challenging geographies.
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T-Mobile Claims Strong 5G Monetisation
In an interaction with ETTelecom, Ankur Kapoor, Chief Network Officer at T-Mobile US, said the operator has successfully monetised 5G, with 80 percent of its 130 million subscribers already on 5G and over 90 percent of network traffic running on the 5G technology. He added that T-Mobile has also emerged as the fifth-largest internet service provider in the US, with more than 7 million fixed wireless access (FWA) subscribers.
"I can talk about T-Mobile US' perspective on 5G monetisation. I know there are lots of sentiments out in the industry on whether 5G is monetised enough or not. We have monetised 5G pretty well. 80 percent of our user base is on 5G. So we are one of the world's highest-paying credit nations in the world now. Over 90 percent of our traffic is 5G. So when we talk about monetising 5G, that is literally what our network is," Kapoor said, according to the report dated November 10, 2025.
Enterprise Demand Rising
Kapoor highlighted that enterprise adoption has been strong, driven by customised private network solutions under the company’s Advanced Network Services (ANS). He cited hospitals as an example, where T-Mobile is replacing unreliable Wi-Fi systems with seamless 5G-based networks.
"We have Advanced Network Services (ANS) that encompasses a lot more than private networks. And we've been providing ANS solutions to all the enterprises. One of the great examples is one of the hospitals back in the US. We have deployed a very customized ANS solution. The reality is Wi -Fi is still pretty bad in countries. If you think of hospitals, the entire system runs on Wi -Fi," he reportedly said while explaining the enterprise use case.
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India’s Scale an Advantage
Commenting on India’s 5G landscape, Kapoor said the country is progressing well, supported by large-scale deployments. However, he noted that low ARPU levels and a predominantly prepaid market remain challenges. He suggested that Indian operators explore 5G Advanced features, network slicing and new service models for improved monetisation.
"The huge advantage for India is the scale. I listened to a recent speech from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said thousands of districts were connected through 5G. I saw some videos from Ericsson on the 5G crane and the grain ATM. I personally feel India's on the right track.
“Obviously, the challenge is still the ARPU. It's a very heavy prepaid market, whereas if I compare it to the US, it is a very heavy postpaid market. I know Indian operators are already on that track, but they should look at new 5G advanced functionalities, looking at new slicing features, and looking at new ways to monetise is something that could be a focus area," the executive reportedly said when asked for his advice to Indian telecom carriers regarding 5G.
AI-RAN to Transform Network Efficiency
Kapoor said artificial intelligence (AI) will play a significant role in telecom networks, with T-Mobile already embedding AI into its AI-RAN framework to reduce latency and enhance customer experience. He noted that improved network experience directly influences customer retention.
"Today, you can't have a conversation without AI. I think AI has a huge role to play in telecom. Last year, we made an announcement on AI-RAN, which is basically AI embedded into the daily networks. Then you get the customer close to the location where they are at and serve it from there, since one of the biggest challenges with AI-RAN is the latency that comes up," he said, explaining how the telecom sector is benefiting from AI, particularly at the edge.
On Open RAN, Kapoor reportedly said global uptake has been slow due to integration challenges, though greenfield deployments may see better adoption.
5G Advanced Shows Promise for Gaming
He added that T-Mobile’s rollout of 5G Advanced, which promises lower latency and more consistent performance during congestion, has shown strong potential for use cases such as gaming.
"We actually announced it three months ago - a nationwide rollout of 5G Advanced in the US. We are the only country in the US that's doing it. There are some great benefits of that. It's essentially low-loss and low-latency transmissions. It provides you with a consistent experience even when your network is a bit congested. So a great example of that is gaming. 5G Advanced enables that connectivity with less bandwidth. I think for a market like India, it’s something super useful, given the usage and all the connectivity that they want to provide," Kapoor reportedly said while sharing the 5G Advanced journey and its lessons.
Also Read: 5G Adoption Growing Rapidly, Robust Demand for FWA in India: Ericsson Mobility Report, November 2025
Satellite Networks to Complement Terrestrial Infrastructure
Discussing non-terrestrial networks, Kapoor said satellite-based systems will complement mobile networks, particularly in regions where it is not economically viable to deploy terrestrial infrastructure. Referring to T-Mobile’s partnership with Starlink, he said such solutions are valuable in remote areas and will coexist with traditional networks rather than compete with them.
"I also think it differs from country to country. If I think of the US, it's very different. Because 20 percent of the land mass in the US is actually not covered by the wireless carriers. They kind of call it the dead zone. And that's because it's not profitable to build those networks there. In a market like India, if you are going to the mountains or remote areas, it's quite useful. It's always going to be complimentary," Kapoor said, sharing his insights, according to the report.
