India’s 5G subscriber base crosses 180 mn: Survey

India's 5G subscriber count surged due to Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio's deployment of 5G networks across the country, reaching 180 million by the end of last month, a huge rise from just 10 million in 2022, according to the latest survey released by LocalCircles. The survey states that 54% of participants have transitioned to 5G and among these 60% of respondents found that 5G data speeds are faster than their previous 3G or 4G connections, while 53% noticed a reduction in call drop rates and improvements in call quality. In contrast, only 16% in 2023 believed that 5G had enhanced call quality.

The survey collected over 47,000 responses from smartphone users across 361 districts. It indicates that multiple industry reports project the number of 5G subscriptions in India to reach approximately 840 million by the end of 2029. At that time, the total mobile subscriptions are expected to reach 1.3 billion, with 5G subscriptions accounting for nearly 65% of all subscriptions.

The survey found that 25% of 5G users expressed dissatisfaction with their experience, citing problems such as poor network performance. While 42% described their data connection as "slightly faster," 18% reported "significantly faster" speeds, a decline from 22% in 2023. In addition, respondents indicated that 30% observed no improvement in call quality.

Among the participants, 67% were men while 33% respondents were women. The survey included participants from diverse demographics, with 44% hailing from tier-1 cities, 33% from tier-2 cities, and 23% from tier-3,4 and rural districts.

While the pace of 5G adoption is increasing in India, the advantages are not uniformly experienced. Telecom authorities and service providers need to address the concerns of the 25% of dissatisfied users and effectively manage consumer expectations to ensure a smooth transition to 5G technology.

To strengthen the country's telecom infrastructure and provide affordable, high-quality services to citizens, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) held the 10th spectrum auction for radio waves on June 25- 26, 2024. The DoT boosted India's telecom infrastructure with its spectrum auction in June 2024, allocating 10,522.35 megahertz (MHz) across eight bands to improve 5G capabilities.

In June, the DoT received bids totaling ₹11,000 crore for 5G spectrum on the first day of the auction. Throughout five rounds of bidding, offers were mainly made for five of the eight available bands. The bands that attracted bids included 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz, 2,100 MHz, and 2,500 MHz.

The second round of the 5G spectrum auction by the DoT saw major telecom service providers like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) competing for the 5G airwaves. A total of 10,522.35 MHz, of 5G airwaves valued at ₹96,238.45 crore was offered for sale.