5G Subscriptions To Touch 1.5 Billion In 2023: Ericsson

The total number of 5G subscriptions globally is expected to touch 1.5 billion by the end of this year, Ericsson’s newly released Mobility Report shows. This stood at 1.1 billion during first quarter of 2023, as per the the Swedish telecom equipment maker.  

This growth is driven by continued investments by service providers worldwide despite the economic downturn in some key markets. The situation has also led to the emergence of new major 5G markets such as India. 

The India Story 

In its report, Ericsson called India the fastest growing 5G market globally. The deployment of 5G services in the country will be critical to realising the “Digital India” vision, according to Ericsson. 

By 2028, 5G subscriptions in India is expected to touch 700 million. This number was around 10 million at the end of 2022. The two leading telecom service providers in India—Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel—are racing to finish the 5G rollout process in the country.  

While Jio uses SA (standalone) 5G infrastructure, Airtel is making use of NSA (non-standalone) infra to provide 5G services. Both the service providers expect to finish their 5G rollout by early 2024. Vodafone Idea, now known as Vi, is the third largest telecom service provider in India but it is yet to come out with a comprehensive 5G rollout plan. 

“Pan-Indian availability of 5G networks by the end of 2023/early 2024 will further fuel growth. 5G subscriptions are expected to reach 700 million and are estimated to account for 57 percent of mobile subscriptions in the region by the end of 2028,” the report said. 

In terms of average data traffic per smartphone, the India region is projected to grow from 26 GB per month in 2022 to around 62 GB per month in 2028 at a CAGR of 16 per cent. 

At the same time, smartphone subscriptions in India as a percentage of total mobile subscriptions is expected to grow from 76 percent in 2022 to 93 percent in 2028.