Mobile data traffic in India has risen 3.2 times over the last five years, according to the annual Mobile Broadband Index (MBiT) report of Nokia. The report also revealed that pan-India mobile data usage per month grew from 4.5 exabytes in 2018 to 14.4 exabytes in 2022.
 
The report, announced Thursday, includes many key takeaways about the evolution of the Indian mobile market, including data on mobile data consumption and growth, the ongoing transition from 4G to 5G as well as the prospects for enterprise adoption of 5G with private networks.     
        
The findings point to mobile data consumption increases coinciding with the launch of commercial 5G services in the country in October 2022, as communication service providers (CSPs) deploy 5G networks and expand to newer areas at a fast pace. Together 4G and 5G subscribers now account for almost 100% of the total mobile data traffic in the country.
 
In addition, average data consumption per user has risen sharply since 2018, reaching 19.5GB per user per month in 2022 (that’s equivalent to 6,600 songs). At an aggregate level, total mobile data consumed in India is expected to more than double by 2024. Over 70 million 5G devices are estimated to have been shipped to India in 2022, indicating a strong traction for 5G in the market.
 
MBiT 2023 highlights a significant acceleration in enterprise investment. Enterprise spending on private 5G networks will be driven by new use cases in diverse industry verticals, including manufacturing, utilities, transportation and healthcare among others in India. India’s investment in private wireless network is expected to reach around US$ 250 million by 2027.
 
Sanjay Malik, SVP and head of India Market at Nokia, said in a release: “India has seen a massive uptake of mobile broadband based on successful deployment of 4G LTE networks. We believe that 5G will take mobile broadband consumption to the next level in India by will enabling new digital use cases for both consumer and enterprise segments. It is essential that this growth is managed in a sustainable manner while supporting India’s aim to become a trillion-dollar digital economy.”