NEW DELHI: 5G mobile devices need to be subsidized to boost the uptake of 5G networks in India, a senior Nokia executive has said. Amit Marwah, head of marketing and corporate affairs (CMO) at Nokia India, said consumers’ upgrade to 5G devices was also a factor.
“There are about 150 million 5G-enabled devices in India, and I would say 130 million or 135 million of them are already using 5G networks. That’s very good. But… The reason 150 million users don’t become 300 million is because of consumer decisions to buy new devices. Unless the devices are subsidized, that doesn’t happen automatically. Consumers decide when to buy a 5G phone. If they are happy with their 4G network and phone, they may take longer to upgrade. Typically, people buy a 5G phone every 2-3 years. change the device,” Marwah said.
India officially launched 5G services in October 2022, and since then, two telcos, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, have been rapidly rolling out 5G networks, making it one of the fastest 5G deployments in the world.
India will have 131 million 5G users by December 2023, while 4G users remain at 724 million, the Finnish company said in its 2024 MBiT annual report released on Wednesday. He said that they monopolized the market with everyone. The report also predicts that the 5G user base will reach 575 million by 2026.
The report suggests that approximately 17% of active 4G devices (approximately 134 million devices) are already 5G-enabled. This means there is a significant existing user base that could switch to 5G if given the right incentives. There are still 796 million users on 4G devices.
The report also noted that 5G users in India have used approximately 3.6 times more mobile data traffic compared to 4G since its launch in October 2022. Users mainly spend their data on watching videos and uploading content.
