Overview
- The Nokia Mobile Broadband Index 2026, released Tuesday, reports average use above 31 GB per user in 2025 and total mobile traffic over 27 exabytes a month with 5G at 12.9 exabytes after roughly 70% yearly growth.
- 5G now makes up about 47% of India’s mobile broadband traffic, with metro markets seeing 5G account for 58% of usage as adoption spreads to Category A, B, and C circles.
- India’s device base includes 892 million active 4G phones with more than 383 million already 5G‑capable, and over 90% of smartphones shipped in 2025 support 5G, making upgrades straightforward for most users.
- The report flags AI‑driven apps, 4K video, and cloud gaming as key forces behind rising demand, and says networks must add capacity and cut delays to handle higher uplink loads.
- Nokia notes India now ranks second globally for 5G subscribers and data consumption, and projects the 5G user base could top 1 billion by 2031.