Nokia has announced the results of its latest annual Mobile Broadband Index (MBiT), focusing on the Indian market.
The Nokia MBiT 2024 report reveals that since October 2022, 5G users in India have used around 3.6 times more mobile data traffic compared to 4G. In 2023, users consumed 17.4 exabytes per month, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26% compared to his 2023. For the past 5 years.
Nokia suggests that the launch of 5G will emerge as a key catalyst for data usage growth, contributing to 15% of total data traffic by 2023.
The report focuses on what it calls a paradigm shift in India’s mobile data landscape with the growing adoption of 5G technology.
In fact, 5G traffic has shown significant growth in all telecom circles (administrative regions, often equivalent to states) and in metro circles (very densely populated cities in some of India’s very large cities). ) is leading the way with a 20% share of overall mobile data. traffic jam.
Improving 5G availability and performance, along with the availability of affordable devices and the introduction of new data-intensive apps and services, will accelerate future 5G growth, the report said.
In 2023, average monthly data traffic per user increased 24% year over year to 24.1 gigabytes per user per month.
The report predicts that the rise of 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) will also be a key enabler of new services for both homes and businesses, with FWA users consuming an estimated 2.5 times more data than the average 5G user. Masu.
Additionally, India’s 5G device ecosystem is rapidly evolving, with approximately 17% of active 4G devices, or 134 million out of a total of 796 million, now 5G-enabled.
The Nokia MBiT 2024 report also suggests that there will be major changes in technology in the years leading up to 2030, leading to new opportunities and a digital and programmable world. According to the report, key technology themes that will shape the world in 2030 include the metaverse, AI/ML, cloud, and Web 3.0.
Is this good news for carriers? Theoretically, this could be an advantage for Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio, the only carriers to have rolled out 5G in India. While Vodafone Idea is gearing up for rollout, BSNL is far behind and 4G rollout is the immediate concern.
However, another important question is whether and how 5G technology will benefit carriers. India’s Economic Times recently cited GSMA Intelligence Director Peter Jaric’s recent report that carriers around the world are failing to monetize these new networks despite billions of dollars of investment. It was not the only news outlet to report the comments.
