India has just hit a massive milestone in the telecom world. In only three years since launching the service, the country has overtaken the United States to become the second-largest 5G market on the planet.
According to new government figures, there are now over 400 million active 5G connections in India. This rapid growth puts the country right behind China, which still holds the top spot with over a billion users.
Beating the predictions
This growth happened much faster than experts thought it would. Industry analysts had predicted India wouldn’t reach 394 million users until the end of 2025. Instead, the country crossed that line months ahead of schedule.
The speed of adoption has been frantic. India now has more 5G users than the US, which has about 350 million, and the entire European Union, which sits at roughly 250 million.
Why it grew so fast
The main reason for this surge is the cost. In many Western countries, upgrading to 5G often meant paying more for a premium plan. In India, it worked differently.
Major operators like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel bundled 5G access into existing 4G plans. This meant anyone who bought a 5G-capable phone could instantly access faster speeds without their monthly bill going up. This strategy removed the biggest barrier for customers.
World’s highest data consumption
People aren’t just connecting to the network; they are using it heavily. A recent report from Ericsson highlights that the average smartphone user in India consumes 36GB of data every single month.
That is currently the highest data usage rate in the world. The report estimates this number will nearly double to 65GB per month by 2031 as video streaming and gaming continue to grow.
Two leaders, one catch-up
The rollout wasn’t even across the board. Jio and Airtel aggressively built out their networks immediately after the 2022 launch. Vodafone Idea (Vi) entered the race much later, starting its rollout in 2024. This head start allowed the top two players to capture the vast majority of the market early on.
Market Impact & Context
India’s rise to the number two spot is a big deal for global technology companies. For equipment makers like Nokia and Ericsson, India is now a critical source of revenue. The sheer volume of traffic on Indian networks also acts as a massive stress test, proving that 5G gear can handle user loads that would likely crash networks in other countries.
