India to Hit 1 Billion 5G Users by 2031

India is projected to cross 1 billion 5G subscriptions by 2031, achieving a 79% penetration rate, according to the November 2025 Ericsson Mobility Report (EMR). With one of the fastest 5G adoption curves in the world, India is expected to reach 394 million 5G users by the end of 2025, accounting for 32% of all mobile connections.

India leads globally in mobile data consumption with 36 GB per smartphone per month, expected to rise to 65 GB by 2031. According to Nitin Bansal, MD, Ericsson India, 5G is already a foundational pillar for digital transformation, boosted by affordable FWA devices and surging consumer data usage.

Worldwide, 5G subscriptions are forecast to reach 6.4 billion by 2031, representing two-thirds of all mobile subscriptions. In 2025 alone, global 5G users will climb to 2.9 billion, a 600 million increase year-on-year. By the end of 2025, half of the global population outside China is expected to have 5G coverage.

Growth of 5G Standalone and Network Slicing

The adoption of 5G Standalone (SA) networks is accelerating rapidly:

• Over 90 CSPs have launched or soft-launched 5G SA networks.

• 118 network slicing use cases have been identified across 56 CSPs.

• 65 are full commercial offerings, with 21 launched in 2025.

Network slicing is enabling differentiated services based on performance and reliability rather than data volume.

Global mobile network data traffic grew 20% between Q3 2024 and Q3 2025, driven by India and China. By the end of 2025, 5G will handle 43% of global mobile data, rising to 83% by 2031. An annual average traffic growth of 16% is expected until 2031.

Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) continues to expand, with 1.4 billion users expected by 2031—90% via 5G. Meanwhile, early 6G deployments are expected between 2030–31 in the U.S., Japan, South Korea, China, India, and GCC nations. Global 6G subscriptions could reach 180 million by 2031, with potential for faster growth.