India’s 5G journey has, so far, been a remarkable success, with over 180 million subscribers already reaping its benefits. A new analysis from Opensignal, in collaboration with the GSMA spectrum programme, highlights the main reasons for this success, and important next steps to guarantee India’s continued leadership.
India’s position as one of the fastest 5G rollouts in the world can be attributed to the groundbreaking telecom reforms introduced by the government in 2021, which restored stability and encouraged renewed investment in the sector. Building on this momentum, further bold steps were taken in 2022, including reducing spectrum prices by almost 40% and making low, mid- and high frequency bands available for 5G rollout. These measures gave Indian operators a strong foundation to launch 5G networks, delivering faster speeds and improved connectivity.
The positive impact of this work can be clearly seen in the Opensignal publication; India’s 5G availability is one of the highest in the region with 5G users spending 52% of their time on 5G networks. The average speed is also at an impressive 243 Mbps.
The availability of mid-band spectrum has been and continues to be the main driver for 5G success and future expansion. By making 100 MHz of spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band available per operator, India put in place the foundation for today’s success.
Mid-bands are also forecasted to realise the largest portion of 5G’s socio-economic benefits, an increase of more than $41 billion in India’s GDP in 2030 – almost 65% of the overall socio-economic value generated by 5G. By the end of Q2 2024, over 75 percent of network launches had used the 3.5 GHz range, and the analysis also shows that most countries rely on 3.5 GHz to deliver 5G, including India.
However, no country that wants to remain at the forefront of mobile connectivity can afford to rest on its laurels. The need for additional spectrum has also become evident as 5G adoption in India accelerates, with one of the highest use of data per user in the world (almost 21GB/user/month) and exponential growth expected. While 5G availability continues to improve, the increasing network load is straining existing capacity, already impacting average download speeds today, according to Opensignal.
To meet demand, mobile networks will need, on average, 2 GHz of mid-band spectrum per country by 2030. India, as a mobile-first country, requires even more spectrum, particularly in densely populated urban cities like Delhi and Mumbai.
The 6 GHz band offers the largest remaining block of contiguous mid-band spectrum and is essential for ensuring continued growth. The future of this band got a big boost when the ITU’s WRC-23 harmonised its upper part (6.425-7.125 GHz) for mobile services, providing the bandwidth necessary to support the growth of 5G-Advanced and 6G.
This decision, supported by countries in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Americas and Asia-Pacific, is expected to facilitate a more cohesive global approach to spectrum use. India’s early adoption and licensing of 6 GHz will not only enhance its own 5G ecosystem but also propel the development of equipment ecosystems globally, enabling India to influence international standards and benefit from economies of scale.
India’s successful integration of the 6 GHz band into its spectrum roadmap will be critical for supporting both 5G and the upcoming 6G evolution. The GSMA’s report on India’s 6 GHz band underscores the socio-economic benefits of this spectrum.
Preparing for the Future
India is at a critical juncture in its digital transformation. With 5G connections expected to comprise of nearly 48% of mobile connections by 2030, timely spectrum availability is essential. By incorporating the 6 GHz band in addition to the expansion of 3.5 GHz in its strategy, India can ensure that its mobile networks continue to meet the increasing demands of users and support next generation technologies.
India’s digital future is mobile-first, and the next phase of growth hinges on making the right spectrum resources available. A well-planned spectrum strategy will empower the nation to fully realize its 5G potential and prepare for the 6G era.
Therefore, for countries that want to stay at the forefront or aim to catch up to its more successful neighbours, the following steps should be implemented:
- Ensure existing mid-bands are fully assigned to mobile operators on a technology neutral basis, allowing them to be used for the latest technologies.
- After making 3.3-3.8 GHz available for mobile, explore the possibility to extend it up to 4.2 GHz.
- Make 6 GHz band available for licensed, macro-cell mobile.