A surge in sales of 5G smartphones is leading to a sharp spike in data consumption in India as more Indians latch onto faster data speeds. Other initiatives, including fixed wireless access powered by 5G, also drove the national average data usage per user higher in 2025.
In 2025, even as smartphone shipments at 151 million grew 0.5% onyear, Indiaâs 5G smartphone shipments at 137 million grew 14% onyear, bringing the total 5G installed base to 415 million. This is expected to grow further to 750 million by March 2028, according to brokerage CLSA, despite the overall market forecast to see a dip due to rising component costs.
5G smartphone shipments accounted for 90% of total shipments in 2025, up from 85% a year ago, driven by an explosive growth in the sub- Rs 10,000 price segment, where shipments surged by 1900% on-year as telecom operators expanded their 5G coverage.
This democratisation of 5G nearly doubled Indiaâs total 5G data traffic, with data traffic rising from roughly 15000 Petabytes in late 2024 to 29,000 PB in December 2025, a 93% increase, according to TRAI estimates. 5G traffic now accounts for 40% of all wireless data traffic in the country. Analysts said users who migrate from 4G to 5G typically see their data consumption go up 2-3 times due to the higher speeds and lower latency, encouraging more intensive use. Telecom operators are mulling on monetising this surge in data usage to boost average revenues per user.
As a result, the national average data consumption per user has reached record levels, growing from 21.5 GB per user per month in early 2025 to 29.9 GB by the end of 2025. Reliance Jio has seen the highest jump in average data consumption, followed by Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea.
Market trackers said the surge is primarily driven by increasing 5G smartphone sales, taking advantage of unlimited data plans being offered by telecom operators. Further, short-form video consumption, high-definition streaming, and gaming have led to higher data usage.
The data surge is more pronounced in rural areas than in urban areas, where users were already consuming large amounts of data. Rural data demand grew 3.2- 3.4 times according to analysis of TRAI data, driven by entry-level 5G smartphone sales.
In 2025, even as smartphone shipments at 151 million grew 0.5% onyear, Indiaâs 5G smartphone shipments at 137 million grew 14% onyear, bringing the total 5G installed base to 415 million. This is expected to grow further to 750 million by March 2028, according to brokerage CLSA, despite the overall market forecast to see a dip due to rising component costs.
5G smartphone shipments accounted for 90% of total shipments in 2025, up from 85% a year ago, driven by an explosive growth in the sub- Rs 10,000 price segment, where shipments surged by 1900% on-year as telecom operators expanded their 5G coverage.
This democratisation of 5G nearly doubled Indiaâs total 5G data traffic, with data traffic rising from roughly 15000 Petabytes in late 2024 to 29,000 PB in December 2025, a 93% increase, according to TRAI estimates. 5G traffic now accounts for 40% of all wireless data traffic in the country. Analysts said users who migrate from 4G to 5G typically see their data consumption go up 2-3 times due to the higher speeds and lower latency, encouraging more intensive use. Telecom operators are mulling on monetising this surge in data usage to boost average revenues per user.
As a result, the national average data consumption per user has reached record levels, growing from 21.5 GB per user per month in early 2025 to 29.9 GB by the end of 2025. Reliance Jio has seen the highest jump in average data consumption, followed by Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea.
Market trackers said the surge is primarily driven by increasing 5G smartphone sales, taking advantage of unlimited data plans being offered by telecom operators. Further, short-form video consumption, high-definition streaming, and gaming have led to higher data usage.
The data surge is more pronounced in rural areas than in urban areas, where users were already consuming large amounts of data. Rural data demand grew 3.2- 3.4 times according to analysis of TRAI data, driven by entry-level 5G smartphone sales.
Meridiano
