India has witnessed one of the fastest 5G roll-outs globally. Since its launch in October 2022, 5G services have been rolled out across all states/union territories across the country and is currently available in 99.8 per cent of the districts. As of August 31, 2025, 0.498 million 5G base transceiver stations have been installed by telecom service providers across the country. Moreover, as of July 2025, India recorded 365 million 5G subscribers, achieving 35 per cent penetration.
The roll-out was initiated by Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited and Bharti Airtel. More recently, Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi) rolled out its 5G services in Mumbai, Delhi-National Capital Region, Bengaluru, Kolkata and various other cities in states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Bihar, Karnataka and Kerala. The telco is expanding its 5G network in a phased manner, continually adding new cities to its footprint. Meanwhile, following a recent Rs 610 billion fund infusion from the government, state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is gearing up to deploy its 5G services across India. It has started piloting 5G in locations such as New Delhi and plans to utilise premium 700 MHz and mid-band 3300 MHz spectrums.
Key enablers of 5G adoption in India
The adoption of 5G in India is being driven by the increased availability of affordable 5G-enabled smartphones, low tariffs, the adoption of next-generation technologies and a rapidly evolving digital ecosystem. Jio and Airtel have been offering 5G services at no extra cost and have only recently revised their tariff structure upwards. The availability of budget-friendly 5G smartphones has further fuelled adoption, with handset manufacturers offering devices with advanced capabilities at increasingly affordable price points.
Another key driver is the growing adoption of next-generation technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and internet of things (IoT), all of which require high speed, low-latency networks. For instance, 5G-powered IoT sensors are being used to detect equipment anomalies, facilitating predictive maintenance and reducing downtime. Furthermore, 5G is playing an integral role in the development of smart cities, with applications in traffic management, energy distribution and public safety. The adoption of cloud-based applications in sectors such as healthcare, education and retail is also enabling enterprises and institutions to embrace 5G connectivity for more efficient and scalable operations.
Additionally, the growing need for reliable, high-capacity connectivity to support hybrid work models, stream content and utilise smart home solutions is accelerating 5G uptake.
Use cases
eMBB
Enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) is one of the key pillars of 5G technology. It is designed to provide users with significantly faster data speeds, higher capacity and lower latency compared to previous generations of mobile networks. One of the primary functions of eMBB is to provide users with faster and more reliable internet connections. Another key feature of eMBB is its ability to support a larger number of connected devices simultaneously. In India, MBB has migrated to eMBB at a scale of 100x to 1,000x, making it the largest use case of 5G, followed by fixed wireless access (FWA).
There are two key trends shaping the future of telecom infrastructure. First, there is a renewed emphasis on fixed line broadband, especially through fibre optics, and second, FWA is rapidly gaining ground as a complementary solution to fibre. FWA offers high speed connectivity without the need for extensive cable infrastructure. Jio and Airtel are actively investing in both these areas.
FWA
As of July 2025, Jio is the leading private telco providing 5G FWA to customers through its JioAirFiber, which was launched in September 2023. As of the first quarter of 2026, Jio has acquired 7.4 million AirFiber users, representing 82 per cent of India’s FWA customer base. Further, Jio now runs 10 production-grade 5G slices, including an FWA slice, on its standalone (SA) core, to offer improved performance. Airtel introduced a similar 5G FWA solution (Xstream AirFiber) in 2023, targeting urban last-mile connectivity and small enterprises. It was piloted in select cities like New Delhi and Mumbai, offering wireless broadband through Airtel’s 5G network to compete with fibre services. Similarly, Vi joined the 5G race with its launch in Mumbai in March 2025 and is now working to enhance its 5G infrastructure. The telco is also conducting trials for 5G FWA service and aims to have 5G SA network availability by the end of 2025. The company is also swapping 4G and 5G equipment in key circles, including Delhi.
Other use cases
Although many 5G use cases have not been widely implemented yet, several promising areas are expected to emerge soon. Smart healthcare, including remote diagnostics, rural consultations and mobile medical units with real-time data transfers, is set to benefit from 5G’s low latency. Connected and autonomous vehicles, enabled by real-time traffic data sharing and vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, represent another key opportunity. Additionally, smart cities equipped with high-definition CCTVs, real-time analytics and IoT integration, along with augmented reality/virtual reality-based applications such as virtual classrooms and industrial or defence training, show strong potential. Agritech and drone solutions for precision farming, using sensors and real-time soil and crop health data, are also expected to gain traction. Exploring these avenues could open up new revenue streams and reshape India’s digital economy.
Private 5G networks see limited traction
Once considered a major use case for 5G, private networks have struggled to gain traction. A private 5G network allows its owner to grant exclusive access to specific authorised individuals and devices. Through such private networks, organisations can ensure that only authorised personnel within their office premises have access, thereby providing control and security. This set-up offers several potential benefits to enterprises. For one, companies can guarantee faster speeds and better coverage for their employees as the data traffic is not shared with other cellular networks in the vicinity. Two, by design, private networks are inherently more secure than those based on Wi-Fi and other network topologies, making them better equipped to guard against cyberattacks.
Despite extensive 5G coverage, India has been slow to adopt private 5G networks. Companies are hesitant because the return on investment is not clear, and their current 4G and Wi-Fi networks work well enough for most needs. Unclear government policies have not helped either. However, things have started moving in 2025. In February 2025, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India recommended a new framework for companies to get their own private networks under the Telecommunications Act, 2023. In July, 2025, the Department of Telecommunications released guidelines and surveyed businesses to understand demand. The response was, however, lukewarm – only a few companies showed serious interest.
Nevertheless, the sector is witnessing some breakthrough projects. BSNL has partnered with Numaligarh Refinery Limited to set up India’s first private 5G network for oil refinery operations in Assam. Meanwhile, telcos like Jio are offering an alternative through network slicing – essentially creating dedicated lanes on their public 5G networks for enterprise customers.
Tech Mahindra also made headlines by working with Airtel to deploy a private 5G network at Mahindra’s car manufacturing plant in Chakan, Maharashtra, making it India’s first 5G-enabled auto factory. However, these projects remain in the pilot or planning stages and full deployment is a long way ahead.
Security considerations
The widespread adoption of 5G necessitates addressing all security gaps. Adopting a layered approach can prove to be a particularly useful strategy to diffuse various cyber threat vectors.
Switching to a zero-trust architecture through the continuous verification of users, devices and services is a good place to start. End-to-end security must encompass all layers of the network, including radio transport, telco cloud, IoT devices, security operations and slicing. Further, while network slicing has been designed to keep threat actors at bay, having dedicated policies modelled on the slice’s purpose and threat archetype will also improve the efficiency of network slices. At the same time, new-age technologies such as AI and machine learning can be harnessed for monitoring network traffic to detect unusual behaviour in real time. Another simple yet effective strategy is to procure hardware and software only from trusted vendors. For instance, cloud service providers must be selected only after conducting thorough due diligence. With regard to shielding 5G radio access network deployments in the cloud, risks can be alleviated through tenant isolation, separation of inbound and outbound traffic, and multifactor authentication, among other things.
Gearing up for 6G
As India continues to expand its 5G network, the government is laying the groundwork to take the lead in 6G technology. Expected to be launched in the early 2030s, 6G will build upon the foundation established by 5G, enabling transformative applications that merge the digital and physical worlds. Research in 6G use cases is already under way, with potential applications such as immersive telepresence through the internet of senses, enhanced human-machine interaction, widespread mixed reality in public transport, precision healthcare, smart agriculture and autonomous supply chains. As of July 31, 2025, 104 research and development (R&D) projects have been approved under the Telecom Technology Development Fund. India is also positioning itself at the forefront of 6G innovation, being among the top six nations in 6G patent filings and aiming for 10 per cent of global 6G patents by 2030. The government has also released a “6G Vision Document”, detailing its strategic road map for leadership in 6G development.
Both 5G and 6G mark a departure from legacy networks, moving beyond traditional voice and data services to low-latency, high-bandwidth applications. However, the lack of compelling 5G use cases that fully leverage its capabilities continues to hamper monetisation. Many users still on 2G, 3G and 4G are reluctant to upgrade due to perceived limited benefits. To ensure the long-term success of 5G and 6G, India must prioritise the development of commercially viable applications through cross-sector innovation and robust R&D, creating an ecosystem that supports integration and sustainable adoption of next-generation technologies.
