MANGALURU: Karnataka, home to India’s Silicon Valley Bengaluru, has it’s 5G network covering only 79.92% of its population, placing it significantly behind most other states like Bihar, which has achieved 94.52% coverage, and Uttar Pradesh, where coverage stands at 85.25%, according to the data presented by the Ministry of Communications in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
The figures highlight a notable gap for Karnataka, which also falls below the national average of 86.18% 5G population coverage. Several other states have moved ahead more aggressively, including neighbouring Kerala at 97.54%, Gujarat at 94.87%, and Haryana at 99.52%, indicating that Karnataka is lagging behind not just northern states but also its southern and western peers in terms of reach. Only Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata Licensed Service Areas have achieved 100% population coverage by the 5G network.
This relatively lower coverage comes despite Karnataka being among the leading states in telecom infrastructure deployment. The state has installed 34,444 5G base transceiver stations (BTS), fourth highest in the country, and has a substantial user base of 2,33,90,833 (also fourth highest) 5G wireless data subscribers. These figures place it alongside major telecom markets such as Gujarat and Tamil Nadu in terms of adoption and infrastructure scale.
However, the disparity between infrastructure and population coverage suggests uneven distribution of the network within Karnataka. While a significant number of towers have been deployed, the overall reach across the population remains limited compared to states that have achieved broader geographical penetration.
In contrast, Bihar, with 27,938 BTS, has managed to cover a much larger share of its population, while Uttar Pradesh, with the highest number of BTS at 60,637, has also achieved higher coverage levels. This indicates that Karnataka’s rollout has not translated into proportionate population coverage.
At the national level, India’s 5G expansion has been rapid, with a total of 5,23,866 BTS installed and over 37.6 crore subscribers as of early 2026. The country has also seen strong growth in internet usage, with 1.02 billion subscribers and average monthly data consumption of 25.70 GB per user, exceeding the 17.9 GB average in high-income countries.
India’s mobile broadband speeds have improved to a median of 130.24 Mbps, higher than the global median of 107.13 Mbps, reflecting overall progress in telecom quality.