Ericsson Mobility Report released on Tuesday revealed that in India, 4G is expected to remain the dominant technology in 2027 with around 55 per cent subscribers. However, the 4G subscriptions are also forecast to drop from 790 million in 2021 to 710 million in 2027, showing an annual average decline of 2 per cent. This is because a chunk of subscribers will start migrating to 5G. Thus, 4G subscriptions are expected to reduce from 68 per cent of mobile subscriptions in 2021 to 55 per cent in 2027. "5G will represent around 39 per cent of mobile subscriptions in India at the end of 2027, estimated at about 500 million subscriptions," the report said.
The report added that the number of smartphone subscriptions is expected to be 810 million at the end of 2021 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7 per cent, reaching over 1.2 billion by 2027. "Smartphone subscriptions accounted for 70 per cent of total mobile subscriptions in 2021 and are projected to constitute around 94 per cent in 2027, driven by rapid smartphone adoption in the country," it said.
The report said that in India, COVID-19 increased reliance on telecom networks to fulfill personal and business needs like remote health consultations, online ordering, online education, content consumption or video conferencing, amongst others. "The reliance on mobile networks to stay connected and work from home has contributed to the average traffic per smartphone increasing to 18.4GB per month in 2021, up from 16.1GB per month in 2020. The average traffic per smartphone in the India region is the second-highest globally and is projected to grow to around 50GB per month in 2027," it added.
Competitive pricing by service providers for subscription packages, affordable smartphones and increased time spent online all contribute to monthly usage growth in the region. "The average traffic per smartphone in the India region is the second-highest globally and is projected to grow to around 50GB per month in 2027," it said.
According to the report, total mobile data traffic in India has grown from 9.4 EB per month in 2020 to 12 EB per month in 2021 and is projected to increase by more than 4 times to reach 49 EB per month in 2027. "This is driven by two factors: high growth in the number of smartphone users, including growth in rural areas, and an increase in average usage per smartphone," it said.
"By end of 2027, we estimate that 5G population coverage will have reached around 75 per cent. This higher uptake is driven by several factors, one of them being that population-rich countries, such as India, will have achieved a high population coverage. 5G is still expected to be the fastest-deployed mobile technology in history," the report added.
Globally, there has been an almost 300-fold increase in mobile data traffic since 2011. According to the latest forecasts, 5G is expected to account for around 50 per cent of all mobile subscriptions worldwide, covering 75 per cent of the world's population and carrying 62 per cent of the global smartphone traffic by 2027.
"Mobile communication has had an incredible impact on society and business over the last ten years. When we look ahead to 2027, mobile networks will be more integral than ever to how we interact, live and work. Our latest Ericsson Mobility Report shows that the pace of change is accelerating, with technology playing a crucial role," Fredrik Jejdling, Executive Vice President and Head of Networks, Ericsson, said.
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