INDUSTRY
With 1 billion subscriptions, India set to be the world’s largest 5G market by 2031
- IBJ Bureau
- Nov 21, 2025
India is on track to becoming one of the world’s largest 5G markets, with Ericsson’s Mobility Report 2025 projecting that the country will cross 1 billion 5G subscriptions by the end of 2031. If this plays out, 5G services will cover about 79 per cent of all mobile subscriptions in India, marking a major shift in how consumers and businesses use high-speed connectivity.
The pace of this expansion reflects a mix of strong demand for mobile data, aggressive network rollouts and a steady shift toward 5G-enabled devices. Operators have been widening mid-band coverage and building out standalone 5G cores, while users are upgrading quickly as more affordable 5G smartphones enter the market. India is already adding millions of 5G users each month, and that momentum is expected to hold through the decade.
For telecom companies, the numbers promise both growth and pressure. A user base of over a billion 5G subscribers opens up significant potential for new services – enhanced mobile broadband, fixed wireless access for homes and businesses, private networks for factories and a growing range of enterprise solutions. Rising data consumption could lift revenue, especially if operators successfully package premium services and enterprise offers around 5G, the report notes.
At the same time, the path to such large-scale adoption is expensive. Networks will need denser towers, stronger backhaul, more fibre and energy-efficient infrastructure to keep up with traffic. Rolling out advanced 5G features, such as ultra-low latency or edge computing, will add to the investment load. Operators face the dual challenge of managing heavy capital expenditure, while keeping tariffs competitive in a price-sensitive market.
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