CHENNAI: India is on track to become one of the world’s largest 5G markets, with Ericsson’s Mobility Report 2025 projecting that the country will cross one billion 5G subscriptions by the end of 2031. If this plays out, 5G services will cover about 79 percent 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 offerings around 5G, the report says.
At the same time, the path to such large-scale adoption is expensive. Networks will need denser towers, stronger backhaul, more fiber, 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.
Affordability and policy will shape how evenly the benefits of 5G spread across the country. Lower-cost devices, smart tariff plans, and support for rural rollout will be essential to ensure that adoption is not limited to major cities. Fixed wireless access could play an important role in bringing high-speed internet to areas where fiber deployment is slow.
For India’s broader economy, the shift to widespread 5G is expected to support digital transformation in manufacturing, agriculture, logistics, healthcare and education. High-capacity networks, large-scale IoT connections and better uplink speeds can power remote monitoring, precision farming, telemedicine and immersive learning, but the success of these applications will depend on how quickly the supporting ecosystem—developers, integrators and enterprise platforms—matures.
Overall, the expectation that India will surpass one billion 5G subscriptions by 2031 signals a decisive leap in the country’s digital evolution. The opportunity is immense, but according to industry experts, capturing its full value will require careful balancing of investment, affordability and rapid innovation,