Trends in broadband adoption
- The internet and broadband subscriber base has grown exponentially in the past 25 years from a mere 0.14 million in December 1998 to a substantial 865.9 million in December 2022.
- While 1G continued in India till the late 2000s, 2G services were launched in 2002. Thereafter, the country launched 3G services in 2008 and, within four years, it embarked on the 4G journey in 2012. Recently, in October 2022, the country witnessed the roll-out of 5G services.
Changing technology shares in data usage
- From 2 per cent in December 2017, 2G now accounts for only 0.14 per cent of data usage in the country. Further, the share of 3G services fell from 16 per cent in December 2017 to 0.93 per cent in December 2022 owing to telecom operators’ efforts to shut down 3G networks in order to escalate 4G roll-outs and prepare for 5G.
- As of December 2022, 4G holds the largest share in data usage at 98.93 per cent.
