India's data usage, pegged at Compounded Annual Growth rate (CAGR) of 53% over the last five years, is among the highest in the world. India has more than doubled its mobile broadband subscriber base from 345 million to 765 million in the last five years. The 4G mobile data traffic recorded an increase of 31% in 2021, with average monthly data traffic per user growing by 26.6% (y-o-y) in 2021 --- the average mobile data consumption touched 17GB per user per month. And 5G will play a major role in connecting the unconnected and advancing India to become a $1-trillion digital economy by 2025.
These numbers and predictions can be found in Nokia's annual Mobile Broadband Index (MBiT) report 2022. Nokia MBiT Index is a report on mobile broadband performance in India. This is the 9th edition of the report.
Regional content has more takers
The report said that more than 40 million subscribers were added or upgraded to 4G services in 2021. Metros have shown a significant increase in traffic as compared to the previous years.
Sanjay Malik, SVP & Head of India Market, at Nokia, said: "4G has played a crucial role in developing India’s mobile broadband ecosystem. Now, the upcoming 5G spectrum auction and the commercial launch of services later this year will help India bridge the digital divide."
The report said India recorded the highest-ever shipment of more than 160 million smartphones, including 30 million 5G devices in 2021, with active 4G capable devices crossing 80% and the number of active 5G capable devices, crossing 10 million. According to the report, 5G services revenue is likely to grow at a CAGR of 164% in five years.
User adoption will increase to 60-75% of the smartphone user base by the calendar year 2025, the report claimed. The shortform video segment can account for 20% of India’s digital ad market, estimated to reach $25-35 billion by the end of 2030.
Striking a blow for regional content, the report said 90% of internet users in India prefer to consume content in their local language. Also, Indian Gen Z spends an average of 8 hours per day online, the report said.
