4G device base crosses 607 million mark in 2020; 5G units at 2 million: Report

New Delhi: The number of 4G devices in India crossed 607 million in 2020, equivalent to 77% of phone users in the country, while those supporting Voice over LTE (VoLTE) technology grew to 563 million, according to a report released on Thursday.

There were 2 million active 5G devices even though the faster mobile communication standard is not yet available in the country, according to Nokia’s Mobile Broadband India Traffic Index 2021. However, about 100 million subscribers with 4G-capable devices are still using 2G or 3G services.

“A double-digit growth is expected in 2021 for the smartphone industry as people embrace hybrid work models, e-learning, and consume content over OTT platforms,” the report noted.

Data traffic grew 36% on-year primarily due to the increase in 4G data consumption as 4G subscribers surpassed the 700 million mark, with an addition of 100 million during the year, some of them with dual SIM cards.

“The phenomenal growth in data consumption in India will drive demand for enhanced broadband and fixed capacity… various IoT and enterprise use-cases, immersive applications experience, smart home, factory and public safety use-cases will spur LTE, 5G growth and data usage further,” said Sanjay Malik, head of India market at Nokia.

Almost 99% of the total data traffic in the country was through 4G alone and the average monthly data usage per user reached 13.5 GB in December, growing 20% on-year as mobile video consumption increased.

“The launch of low-cost 4G smartphones will provide the necessary headroom for data growth, with a significant number of 2G/3G subscribers potentially upgrading to a 4G smartphone,” the report added. On fixed broadband, the report noted that India has 22 million subscribers with significant growth opportunities in the segment.