Operators already deployed around 500,000 5G base stations across India
In sum – what to know:
1bn 5G users by 2031 – Subscriptions expected to rise from 400 million today to 1 billion, reaching nearly 79% penetration.
Full 5G coverage – Around 500,000 base stations deployed, with 5G now available in 99.9% of districts.
4G decline accelerates – Users projected to fall from 600 million in 2025 to 190 million by 2031 as migration to 5G gathers pace.
India’s telecom sector is on track to reach 1 billion 5G subscribers by 2031, according to the country’s Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
5G services now cover 99.9% of India’s districts, supported by roughly 500,000 base transceiver stations (BTSs), the minister added.
Ericsson also estimates India will account for 1 billion 5G subscriptions by the end of 2031, representing a mobile penetration of 79%. The Swedish vendor expects 394 million 5G users by the end of this year, or 32% of total mobile subscriptions, driven by expanding coverage, affordable 5G devices and growing demand for high-speed data.
While 4G remains the largest segment at about 49% of subscriptions, Ericsson projects a sharp decline from roughly 600 million users in 2025 to around 190 million by 2031, as migration to 5G accelerates. Scindia described the rollout as one of the fastest globally, noting that nationwide coverage was achieved within 22 months of launch.
India’s commercial 5G rollout began in October 2022, with operators initially launching services in selected cities before rapidly expanding coverage nationwide. Local carriers Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio Infocomm were the first to introduce 5G services and each reported reaching 50 million users within their first year of operation. Vodafone Idea followed later, launching 5G in select cities during 2025. Meanwhile, state-run telco BSNL is expected to launch 5G services this year.
Government officials previously said that the upgrade to 5G technology by BSNL will rely entirely on India’s homegrown telecom stack, developed by C-DOT, Tejas Networks, and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
