In March 2025, India achieved a technological milestone as it successfully conducted the world’s first robotic cardiac telesurgeries using the domestically developed SSI Mantra surgical robotic system. These surgeries connected doctors in Gurugram with patients in Jaipur, covering 286 km, with remarkable precision and ultra-low latency of less than 40 milliseconds. This landmark achievement has opened up significant possibilities for 5G applications beyond traditional internet and communication services, both globally and within India.
Since the commercial roll-out of 5G in India in October 2022, the country has witnessed one of the fastest deployments of the technology worldwide. With around 290 million 5G users in 2024, according to industry estimates, the service now spans 99.6 per cent of India’s districts and covers 82 per cent of the population. According to the Ministry of Communications, as of March 31, 2025, approximately 250 million mobile subscribers have adopted 5G, and 474,234 5G base transceiver stations have been installed across the nation, demonstrating a strong uptake among users.
Even after achieving these remarkable feats, India has seen limited diversification in 5G applications. So far, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and fixed wireless access (FWA) have emerged as the primary use cases, forming the core revenue streams for Indian telecom operators.
eMBB
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 FWA.
FWA: Fibre speeds without fibre
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. Operators like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel are actively investing in both these areas.
FWA is a wireless connection that provides broadband access to a specific location, such as homes or enterprise premises. It enables consumers to connect to the network and access high-speed internet via radio signals without any physical cables. The lack of cables also makes FWA ideal for connecting remote or underserved locations where running cables would prove too costly or difficult, making it a key technology for bridging the digital divide.
As of March 2025, Jio is the leading private telecom operator providing 5G FWA to customers through its Jio AirFiber, which was launched in September 2023. As of the third quarter (Q3) of 2025, Jio has acquired 4.5 million AirFiber users, representing the majority of India’s FWA customer base, which is roughly 5 million. Further, the operator aims to add 1 million new FWA users each month. Further, Jio has transitioned its FWA traffic to a dedicated network slice, leveraging the 5G
standalone (SA) architecture 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 Delhi and Mumbai, offering wireless broadband through Airtel’s 5G network to compete with fibre services. More recently, Airtel awarded a contract for expanding its 5G FWA and Wi-Fi solutions. As part of the initiative, outdoor 5G FWA gateways and Wi-Fi 6 access points will be deployed, featuring advanced chipsets. The devices will be locally manufactured and packaged using recyclable materials, enabling Airtel to provide high-speed internet in areas where fibre roll-out remains challenging.
Similarly, Vodafone Idea Limited (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. It will have 5G SA network availability by the end of 2025. The company is also swapping 4G and 5G equipment in key circles, including Delhi.
Government’s role: 5G labs and test beds
The Indian government is playing a crucial role in accelerating 5G adoption by encouraging indigenous development, enabling partnerships and implementing policy reforms. Under the BharatRAN initiative, a full-fledged 4G/5G telecom stack, compatible with open radio access network, has been developed locally. The aim is to reduce the reliance on imports and position India as a global telecom hardware hub.
Through government funding, eight premier research institutes have created an indigenous and fully programmable 5G test bed to support research and innovation. This infrastructure allows companies to validate their prototypes and services while also supporting future 5G and 6G advancements. Schemes like the Digital Communications Innovation Square and the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) collectively support start-ups and micro, small and medium enterprises in telecom research and development (R&D), providing funds and resources to develop indigenous 5G solutions. The TTDF, launched in 2022, allocates Rs 5,000 million annually to fund rural communication technology innovations. Further, the government has lowered spectrum prices, streamlined right of way approvals, and established the GatiShakti Sanchar portal, simplifying infrastructure deployment. This supportive policy environment will promote faster and more economical network expansion across urban and rural areas.
To foster skills and innovation among students and start-ups, the Department of Telecommunications is setting up 100 5G use case labs across higher educational institutions. With Rs 1,000 million allocated for this programme, the government will cover 80 per cent of capital and 100 per cent of operational costs for four years. The labs will be equipped with mid-band 5G SA infrastructure, routers, internet of things (IoT) gateways, SIMs, dongles, servers, and a management dashboard for experimentation and learning.
Recently, in March 2025, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister of Communications and Development of the North Eastern Region, inaugurated an indigenous 5G lab at Gauhati University, established by the Centre for Development of Telematics. This facility will enable faculty and students to gain practical insights into an end-to-end 5G system, deepen their understanding of 5G technology and system capabilities, explore new 5G use cases and applications, and lay the groundwork for advanced research and specification development for 6G technologies.
Similarly, in January 2025, the Indian government inaugurated the 5G Use Case Test Lab at the Central Mine Planning and Design Institute in Ranchi. The facility is aimed at advancing the coal sector’s digital transformation and technological landscape.
Challenges
While the roll-out of 5G has been a massive step forward in India’s digital journey, several challenges remain. The regulatory landscape in the country is creating hurdles in 5G monetisation. According to industry analysts, more spectrum is required for effective 5G roll-out. Currently, India is facing a spectrum deficit of about 1200 MHz, and this is likely to hamper roll-outs going forward. There is also a sentiment among industry players that spectrum allocation to telcos through auctions may make 5G economically unviable for enterprise customers. In addition, monetising 5G continues to be a complex issue globally due to high deployment costs, price-sensitive markets and the lack of large-scale commercial applications.
Further, India’s level of tower fiberisation, at around 45 per cent, is significantly lower than the 75-80 minimum percentage required for delivering quality 5G services. The low average revenue per user, with emerging 5G use cases, is impacting the return on investment and placing a financial burden on telcos.
Further, advanced capabilities such as network slicing, private 5G and immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR)/augmented reality (AR)/extended reality (XR), and metaverse applications are still at nascent stages with minimal real-world deployment.
Emerging 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 AR/VR-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 new revenue streams and reshape India’s digital economy.
Outlook
According to a recent industry report, India is expected to have 770 million 5G subscribers by 2028. Further, 5G data usage is projected to surpass 4G by the Q1 of 2026. The coming years will see Indian telecom shaped by rapid 5G uptake, groundwork for 6G, and a greater focus on digital inclusion.
As 5G matures and continues to evolve, its role in enabling smart cities, Industry 4.0, IoT and immersive mobile experiences will become more pronounced. The eventual commercialisation of 5G Advanced will further accelerate these transformations and help unlock the full potential of next-generation connectivity.
