5G subscriptions to reach 330 million by 2026 in India: Ericsson

By contrast, 4G subscriptions in India are forecast to rise from 680 million in 2020 to 830 million in 2026, increasing at a CAGR of 3%.

NEW DELHI: Fifth-generation or 5G will represent about 26% of mobile subscriptions in India at the end of 2026, estimated at about 330 million subscriptions, according to Swedish telecom gear maker Ericsson’s 20th Edition Mobility Report.

By contrast, 4G subscriptions in India are forecast to rise from 680 million in 2020 to 830 million in 2026, increasing at a CAGR of 3%.

It should be noted that the 5G network is yet to launch commercially in the country.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) recently allocated 5G trial spectrum in the 700MHz, 3.5GHz, and 26GHz bands to Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea.

Following this, Airtel switched on its mid-band 5G trial network on Monday in Gurgaon’s Cyber Hub in the Millenium City, using Ericsson’s 5G gear while Jio commenced its 5G network trial in Mumbai using Made in India 5G gear, from Tuesday.

A separate study by the telecom gear maker previously said at least 40 million smartphone users in India could take up 5G in the first year of 5G being made available.

“COVID-19 has accelerated India’s digital transformation as more and more consumers rely on digital services – be it digital payments, remote health consultations, online retail or video conferencing – to fulfil their business or personal needs. Accordingly, the average monthly mobile data usage per smartphone continues to show robust growth, boosted by people increasing their smartphone usage while staying at home,” commented Nitin Bansal, Head of Ericsson India and Head of Network Solutions for South-East Asia, Oceania, and India, Ericsson.

Ericsson forecasts the number of smartphone subscriptions to reach over 1.2 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 7%, up from 810 million in 2020.

The net addition of mobile subscriptions during Q1 2021 was, however, low at 59 million globally, with India accounting for the highest net additions (26 million), followed by China and Nigeria, it said.

The report highlighted that the average traffic per smartphone user in India increased from 13GB per month in 2019 to 14.6GB per month in 2020.

The average traffic per smartphone in the India region stands second highest globally and is projected to grow to around 40GB per month in 2026, it said.

While the total mobile data traffic has grown from 6.9EB/month to 9.5EB/month in 2020 and is projected to increase by more than four times to reach 41EB/month in 2026.

As per the report, this will be driven by two factors–high growth in the number of smartphone users, including in rural areas; and an increase in average usage per smartphone

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