India’s digital connectivity story has reached a major milestone, with the country now home to one of the largest 5G user bases in the world. In just over 3 years since commercial rollout, 5G has moved from a flagship launch to a widely used service across cities and towns, shaping how millions access mobile data, services and applications every day.
According to Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, India’s 5G subscriber base has crossed 400 million connections, making it the second largest globally after China, which has over 1 billion users. India now ranks ahead of the US with 350 million users, the EU with 250 million, and Japan with 190 million. The achievement also surpasses earlier estimates that projected around 394 million 5G users by the end of 2025, highlighting the speed at which adoption has taken place.
The groundwork for this growth was laid in October 2022, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially launched 5G services during the India Mobile Congress. The rollout was positioned as a key pillar of the Digital India vision, aimed at delivering faster internet on smartphones and connected devices. Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea showcased multiple use cases at the launch, underlining how 5G could transform consumer and enterprise connectivity.
Among operators, Reliance Jio led the commercial rollout with its Jio True 5G network in October 2022, followed by Bharti Airtel and its 5G Plus services in the same month. Vodafone Idea entered the 5G space later in 2024 and began expanding further in 2025 after securing additional funding and upgrading infrastructure. Heavy investments in towers, fibre backhaul, and standalone and non standalone networks played a key role, along with low data costs. Despite recent tariff hikes, India remains one of the most affordable large markets for mobile data, with many users accessing 5G at no extra charge. Looking ahead, a mobility report released in November 2025 predicts India will reach 1 billion 5G subscriptions by 2031, with penetration touching 79% and average monthly data usage per smartphone rising from 36GB to 65GB.
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