India 5G subscriber base to reach 98 cr; mobile data consumption may fall to 62 GB by 2030: EMR

India's 5G subscriber base is estimated to grow by over three-fold to around 98 crore, and the number of 4G users is likely to decline by about 60 per cent to 23 crore by 2030, an updated report from Swedish telecom gear maker Ericsson said on Tuesday.

The Ericsson Mobility Report had in November estimated that the 5G subscriber base will grow to 97 crore, accounting for 74 per cent of the total user base, and 4G subscribers will decline to 24 crore.

"By the end of 2024, 5G subscriptions in the country reached 290 million, representing 24 per cent of total mobile subscriptions. This figure is projected to climb to around 980 million by 2030, accounting for 75 per cent of all mobile subscriptions," the report said.


While Ericsson Mobility Report maintains that India leads the world with the highest data traffic of 32 GB per smartphone user in India in 2024, it has lowered the estimate of data consumption on mobile phones to 62 GB by 2030 compared to 66 GB it projected in the November 2024 report.

"Data traffic per smartphone user in India currently stands at 32 GB per month, the highest in the world and is projected to grow to 62 GB per month by 2030, further reinforcing the need for robust 5G infrastructure," the report said.

India's 5G journey is scaling rapidly fuelled by surging data demand, extensive mid-band spectrum coverage, rapid 5G smartphone adoption, and large-scale 5G FWA deployments, it added.

"The strong need for accessible broadband, especially in rural and semi-urban regions, is driving service providers to expand their 5G FWA footprints at pace. The 5G mid-band spectrum available in India is well-suited to deliver both capacity and coverage, ensuring an enhanced user experience for Indian mobile subscribers," the report said.