India’s mobile landscape prior to 2022 was murky in the context of 5G. Operators, regulators, and stakeholders were embroiled in disputes over inadequate infrastructure and high spectrum pricing - leaving the country’s burgeoning population of over one billion trailing behind as other nations began rolling out 5G services.
Despite this, India already had a well-developed connectivity ecosystem, with widespread 4G coverage supported by two million base stations and a vast subscriber base. However, operators spent an entire year negotiating the government’s valuation of the initial 5G spectrum, which was reportedly priced at ten times what UK operators paid (£1.36 billion) for their first allocation. Eventually, Indian operators paid over INR 1.5 trillion (US$19 billion) for spectrum access.
A swift turnaround
Today, India’s 5G story is being heralded as a success. A large number of connections -boosted by the country’s huge population - have been achieved in a remarkably short period. This has been made possible through close collaboration between operators and the government, as well as initiatives to reduce handset costs and ensure affordability across all user segments.
According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), there were 1.15 billion wireless connections in India at the end of January 2025, up by nearly 629,000 from the end of 2024.
Looking ahead, India is already preparing for 5G Advanced, standalone deployments, and even 6G. Having learned lessons from more mature telecom markets, India is now positioned to become a leader that more developed nations, such as the UK and the US, may one day look to, according to Counterpoint Research analyst Siddhant Cally.
Cally described India’s 5G rollout as “one of a kind”, with an astonishing 470,000 base stations deployed since the commercial launch in 2022, according to recent TRAI data.
He noted that the timing was fortuitous, as Indian operators had the financial means to invest heavily in network equipment from Nordic vendors Ericsson and Nokia. Both companies reported significant revenue boosts from India’s 5G rollout - and even warned investors not to expect similar growth in the next financial year.
The Jio effect
Cally credited disruptive challenger Reliance Jio Infocomm (Jio) with setting the pace by swiftly deploying an initial 300 5G Standalone (SA) base stations in metropolitan areas - and eventually establishing 100% coverage. At the time, only 25% of global 5G operators had deployed standalone networks, and none had done so nationwide. Jio’s aggressive rollout strategy compelled incumbents Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi) to follow suit.
This fierce competition, particularly from Jio, drove connectivity prices down dramatically. At one point, incumbent operators were charging US$4 per gigabyte, while Jio disrupted the market by offering unlimited data plans for just US$5 per month. The resulting price war contributed to the closure of numerous mobile network operators -India once had 14, now reduced to just four.
Regulators also played a crucial role in enabling rapid deployment. Cally highlighted efforts to upgrade existing base stations with fibre optic cables to support 5G, a process that had previously been cost-prohibitive and slow. Government rule changes accelerated this transformation.
However, GlobalData Telecom Project Manager Hrushikesh Mahananda noted that deployment of fibre-optic infrastructure remains constrained by high costs and complex right-of-way permissions. According to GlobalData, only 33% of telecom towers in India are currently fibre-connected. Mahananda estimated that at least 75% will need to be upgraded by 2026 to maintain the commercial viability of 5G.
Affordable devices drive uptake
The rapid adoption of 5G has also been driven by the availability of affordable smartphones. Cally pointed out that 5G handsets are now available from around INR 10,000 (US$118), and Indian subscribers currently consume over 30GB of data per month on average - surpassing even users of China Mobile. He noted that the entry of brands like Vivo and Honor in 2016 brought affordable, feature-rich handsets with 5G connectivity, fast charging, and high-resolution displays to the market.
Fixed wireless access (FWA) has emerged as another key driver. TRAI recorded 5.71 million FWA broadband subscribers in January, with Jio accounting for 4.84 million (84.7%) and Bharti Airtel capturing 872,000 (15.3%). By comparison, there were just 41.1 million fixed-access broadband customers - demonstrating how little fixed infrastructure the nation has, despite the age of fibre and DSL technology.
There’s still considerable room for growth. Vodafone Idea has yet to fully ramp up its 5G deployment, and Cally noted the operator has around 200 million subscribers waiting to be transitioned. State-owned BSNL has around 300 million subscribers. Combined, that’s half a billion potential 5G connections still to come.
Is India’s 5G a success?
So, has India’s 5G journey been a success? “Absolutely,” said Cally, pointing to the rise in ARPU across operators.
“Success comes from the fact that Airtel and Jio have reported strong quarters recently. Success comes from the fact that Jio is now producing its own hardware and software stack in-house. Jio has its own core network and open-RAN compliant 5G hardware. These are the real markers of India’s 5G success.
“The growth in subscriber numbers is one thing, but the growth of the overall ecosystem is another - and that’s what we’re seeing.”
Despite the massive US$20 billion investment in spectrum, Indian operators are now reaping the rewards. Average revenue per user (ARPU) is on the rise. Airtel’s ARPU reached an “industry-high” of INR 209 in FY 2023–24, up INR 16. Vodafone Idea’s ARPU rose from INR 135 to INR 173 year-on-year in Q3 2025. Reliance Jio’s ARPU also increased, hitting INR 206 in Q4 2024, up from INR 181.7 a year earlier. Cally remarked that operators were willing to accept unfavourable policy terms because the potential market one billion connections - is so immense.
The road ahead
Mahananda, however, urged greater development of monetisable 5G use cases in sectors such as education and manufacturing. He also called for further reductions in smartphone prices and more regulatory support to simplify infrastructure rollout and attract investment.
“By addressing these critical areas, India can maximise the benefits of its 5G infrastructure - ultimately fostering economic growth and driving digital transformation,” said Mahananda.
