'130 mn 5G users in India by end-2023'

India will have 130 million 5G users by the end of this year, within just over a year of consumer 5G services being launched in the country. India’s 5G user base has more than tripled from last year—and is expected to rise to 860 million subscribers by 2029, according to the Ericsson Mobility Report 2023 published Thursday.

- Shouvik Das

Last year, Ericsson pegged India’s 5G subscriber base at 31 million users, rising by over 4x in 2023 itself. Going forward, the next six years will see 5G subscribers grow by 6.6x, while 4G subscribers—pegged at 870 million at the end of this year—will drop to 390 million by the end of 2029. As a result, by 2029, 68% of all mobile subscribers in the country will be on the 5G network, Ericsson’s projection said.

Nitin Bansal, head of Ericsson India, said the growth in 5G subscribers, as well as the rise in the number of smartphone users in comparison with the overall mobile phone users, will drive “social and economic inclusion in India."