The report highlights the changing dynamics of mobile data consumption in India, fueled by the widespread adoption of 5G technology
Nokia’s latest Mobile Broadband Index report for 2024 sheds light on the rapidly evolving landscape of mobile data consumption in India, particularly with the advent of 5G technology. According to the report released on 20th March 2024, 5G users in India are consuming mobile data at a rate nearly 3.6 times faster than their 4G counterparts since 5G’s launch in October 2022.
In 2023 alone, mobile data usage surged to 17.4 exabytes per month, marking a significant 26 percent Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) over the past five years. The introduction of 5G has played a pivotal role in this surge, contributing to 15 percent of the total data traffic in 2023. Notably, 5G traffic has seen remarkable growth across all telecom circles, with metro circles leading the way, accounting for 20 percent of the overall mobile data traffic.
The report highlights the changing dynamics of mobile data consumption in India, fueled by the widespread adoption of 5G technology. Factors such as improved 5G availability, performance, affordability of devices, and the emergence of data-intensive applications and services have contributed to this shift. As a result, the average monthly data consumption per user saw a notable increase of 24 percent year-on-year in 2023, reaching 24.1 gigabytes per user per month.
Additionally, the rise of 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) is expected to unlock new opportunities for both home and business users, with FWA users projected to consume approximately 2.5 times more data than average 5G users. The report also highlights the evolving 5G device ecosystem in India, with around 17 percent of active 4G devices now capable of supporting 5G connectivity, amounting to 134 million out of 796 million devices.
Looking ahead, the report suggests that the years leading up to 2030 will witness significant technological shifts, paving the way for new opportunities and a digitized world. Key technology trends such as the Metaverse, AI/ML, Cloud, and Web 3.0 are expected to shape the technological landscape in the coming years.
Tarun Chhabra, Head of Mobile Networks Business at Nokia (India), expressed delight at the release of the latest edition of Nokia’s Mobile Broadband Index for 2024. He emphasized the remarkable proliferation of 5G technology across India and the growing demand for high-speed 5G data. Chhabra affirmed Nokia’s commitment to collaborating with operator partners to meet the evolving needs of customers in India’s dynamic mobile data market.
