India has been declared as the second-biggest 5G market in the world, with over 400 million users, in 0more than 3-years of it’s existence, after launching the commercial 5G. Union Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia shared the news from his social media post on X.com (formerly known as Twitter), where he pointing out just how quickly India has jumped ahead in the race for next-gen connectivity.
China has more 5G users
So far, it has been said that only China has more 5G users, sitting at over a billion. India’s already outpaced the US (about 350 million), the European Union (250 million), and Japan (190 million).
Anothing thing to note is that India was expected to hit 394 million 5G subscribers by the end of 2025, but instead, it already blown past that mark. Indeed, India’s 5G growth is among the fastest anywhere.
PM Modi launched 5G services during the India Mobile Congress in Oct 2022
The story really took off back in October 2022 when the Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 5G services during the India Mobile Congress. The goal was to have a blazing-fast internet, lower lag and a new wave of digital services. It was majorly focusing on powering up the government’s Digital India vision. Telecom giants rolled out real-world demos to show off what 5G could do.
- Reliance Jio got the ball rolling first with its Jio True 5G network.
- Airtel jumped in right after, launching Airtel 5G Plus.
- Vodafone Idea (Vi) took a bit longer, starting limited 5G service in 2024 and planning to ramp up in 2025 after securing more funding
All these private telecom service providers invested big money into new towers, fiber networks, and both Standalone and Non-Standalone 5G technology to handle the massive growth.
So, why is India’s 5G adoption exploding?
India is providing cheap mobile data, plain and simple.
Even with some recent price hikes, India still offers some of the lowest data rates in the world—including for 5G. Many telecom providers have thrown in 5G access for free on existing plans, making it a no-brainer for users to upgrade.
Ericsson’s Mobility Report
Looking ahead, the numbers are only getting bigger. Ericsson’s Mobility Report (November 2025) says India’s on track to hit 1 billion 5G users by 2031, covering nearly 80 percent of the population. Indians already burn through more mobile data than anyone else—averaging 36GB per smartphone each month—and that’s expected to jump to 65GB by 2031. The 5G wave in India is just getting started.