5G subscriptions in India likely to cross one billion mark by 2031: Ericsson Mobility Report
- IBEF
- November 21, 2025
India is projected to surpass one billion 5G subscriptions by the end of 2031, according to the November 2025 Ericsson Mobility Report, reflecting rapid adoption in a market that records the highest mobile data traffic per smartphone globally. Mobile data usage per active smartphone is expected to rise from 36 GB per month to 65 GB per month by 2031. The report highlighted that India had 394 million 5G subscriptions at the end of 2025, representing 32% of total mobile subscriptions. Managing Director of Ericsson India, Mr. Nitin Bansal, said that 5G is already serving as the critical infrastructure enabling digitalisation. He added that affordable 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) customer premises equipment and rising data consumption are accelerating traffic growth. The report noted that mobile network data traffic increased 20% between Q3 2024 and Q3 2025, driven by India and mainland China, with traffic expected to grow at an annual average of 16% through 2031.
Globally, 5G subscriptions are expected to reach 6.4 billion by 2031, accounting for about two-thirds of all mobile subscriptions, with 4.1 billion of these expected to be 5G standalone connections using a dedicated 5G core. The report forecasts that 5G networks will handle 43% of mobile data by the end of 2025 and 83% by 2031. FWA broadband is set to remain a major 5G use case, with around 1.4 billion people worldwide expected to access FWA by 2031, of which 90% will rely on 5G. The study also noted growth in differentiated connectivity models enabled by network slicing, supported by service providers in leading markets such as the United States, Japan, South Korea, China, India, and select Gulf countries. Global 6G subscriptions are forecast at 180 million by 2031, with the potential for higher uptake if commercial launches begin earlier than previous technology cycles.
Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.
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