India’s per user average data consumption rose to 19.5GB, which is equivalent to 6,600 songs, in 2022, a sharp jump from 9.5 GB in 2018, according to the annual Mobile Broadband Index (MBiT) released by Nokia on Thursday.
The report also revealed that the pan-India mobile data usage per month grew from 4.5 exabytes in 2018 to 14.4 exabytes in 2022. Mobile data traffic in India has risen 3.2 times over the last five years. At an aggregate level, total mobile data consumed in the country is expected to more than double by 2024. More than 70 million 5G devices were estimated to have been shipped to India in 2022, indicating a strong traction for 5G in the market.
Mobile data consumption increase coincided with the launch of commercial 5G services in the country in October 2022, as communication service providers started deploying 5G networks and expanded to newer areas at a fast pace, according to the study.
Sanjay Malik, SVP and Head of India Market at Nokia, said, “We believe that 5G will take mobile broadband consumption to the next level in India by will enabling new digital use cases for both consumer and enterprise segments.” India’s investment in private wireless networks is expected to reach $ 250 million by 2027, the index reported, indicating a significant acceleration in enterprise investment. Enterprise spending on Private 5G networks would be driven by new use cases in diverse industry verticals, including manufacturing, utilities, transportation and healthcare among others in India, the study found.
Published - February 16, 2023 09:00 pm IST
