Average Indian consumes 24.1 GB of mobile data every month

The Nokia MBiT Index Report says total monthly mobile data consumption in the country increased by 24 percent in 2023 compared to 2022 (19.5 GB per user). The contribution of 5G network remains low, but it is growing at a promising pace

By Fazal Rahim Forbes India Staff

Published: Mar 21, 2024 12:43:20 PM IST

Updated: Mar 21, 2024 02:45:14 PM IST

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The report shows that total monthly mobile data consumption in India reached 17.4 exabytes or 17.4 billion GB in 2023, which was 14.4 exabytes in 2023. Image: Pallava Bagla/Corbis via Getty Images

India has the second-largest telecom network in the world, and as the mobile network penetrates every corner of the country, mobile data consumption is reaching new heights every year. As per the latest report by Nokia India, mobile data consumption reached a record 24.1 GB per month for an average user in 2023. This is a growth of 24 percent in a year—from 19.5 GB per user in 2022.

The report shows that total monthly mobile data consumption in India reached 17.4 exabytes or 17.4 billion GB in 2023, which was 14.4 exabytes in 2023. Most of the data traffic is driven by 4G as 5G device adoption remains slow in the country. The 4G network contributed 85.2 percent to the total traffic, while the 5G network’s share was 14.8 percent.

Though the 5G contribution remains low, it is growing at a promising pace, as its total contribution to traffic was a mere 1.7 percent in 2022. The average data consumption by a 5G user was 3.6 times higher than a 4G user. Total data usage of 5G is expected to reach 310 exabytes per annum by 2026.

The report indicates there were 724 million and 131 4G and 5G data subscribers in India by the end of December 2023. Additionally, there were 796 million 4G capable active devices in the country, of which 134 million were also 5G capable. According to the report, the number of 5G subscribers in India will reach 575 million by 2026. However, as telecom operators plan to increase tariffs by 20 percent in May-June, there could be a slight dip in the current 5G subscribers.

Sandeep Saxena, head of technology & solutions, Nokia India, says the adoption and affordability of 5G capable devices will soon be the major accelerator to 5G adoption in the country. “Currently, the affordability of 5G devices is limited, but tomorrow if their prices go down, there’ll be more and more affordability, ensuring penetration of 5G devices. The higher penetration of 5G devices has the potential to compensate for any kind of lesser usage because of higher tariffs.”

The report shows that the 5G network is penetrating and getting adopted not just in metro cities; it has similar penetration and adoption in Tier II and III towns and rural regions as well. While the share of 5G in metros amounted to 20 percent of total traffic, it was 17, 12 and 14 percent in categories A, B and C of telecom circles, which cover the rest of India.

“The contribution of 5G data in not only in metros but also in other circles is growing significantly, which means the real rollouts have happened pan-India, and people are embracing it. Other category circles are even more promising than metros because metros in urban areas will reach a certain point of saturation at some point,” says Amit Marwah, head of marketing and corporate affairs, Nokia India.