India’s mobile broadband subscribers have more than doubled in the last five years, rising from 345 million to 765 million, with average mobile data consumption now reaching 17GB per user per month, according to a new report
According to Nokia’s annual ‘Mobile Broadband Index (MBiT) Report 2022,’ released on Monday, India had the highest growth in mobile broadband data in 2021, with 4G mobile data increasing by 31% and average monthly data traffic per user increasing by 26.6 percent year on year,
The report further revealed that more than 40 million subscribers were added or upgraded to 4G services in 2021.
“4G has played a crucial role in developing India’s mobile broadband ecosystem. Now, the upcoming 5G spectrum auction and the commercial launch of services later this year will help India bridge the digital divide,” said Sanjay Malik, SVP and Head of India Market, at Nokia.
According to the report, Indian Gen Z spends an average of 8 hours per day online, and 90% of Internet users prefer to consume content in their native language.
India has one of the highest data usage rates in the world, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 53% over the last five years.
India recorded the highest-ever shipment of more than 160 million smartphones, including 30 million 5G devices in 2021, with active 4G capable devices crossing 80 per cent and the number of active 5G capable devices, crossing 10 million.
The report forecasts that user adoption will increase to 60-75 per cent of the smartphone user base by 2025.
The projects that 5G services revenue is likely to grow at a CAGR of 164 per cent in five years.
5G technology is expected to contribute up to 1% of global GDP or $1.3 trillion in revenue by 2030, driven by innovative use cases in a variety of industries.
According to the findings, the short-form video segment can account for 20% of India’s digital ad market, which is expected to reach $25-35 billion by the end of 2030.