India cites 550 million 5G users and sets a billion-user goal for 2030

The numbers from New Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the tenth India Mobile Congress on 8 October. Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said India now has 550 million 5G users and service in 99.9% of its administrative districts. He set a goal of one billion 5G users by 2030. These are government-reported figures and an ambition, not an independent measure of connection quality at every location.

The minister also cited more than 1.35 billion mobile subscriptions and 1.09 billion broadband connections. They must not be added together or treated as a count of unique people: an individual may hold several SIM cards and subscriptions. The government links the next phase to domestically designed equipment, cloud infrastructure and future 6G networks.

Coverage versus experience

A district counted as covered can still contain homes, roads and villages with weak service. Users and businesses care about measurable speed, reliability, price and access to compatible devices.

India’s experience is relevant to Kazakhstan. Large mobile networks support online learning and digital public services, but the digital divide narrows only when a connection works where people actually live and study.

Source: Press Information Bureau of India.