Nokia has revealed that India’s average monthly mobile data consumption per user has crossed 31GB in 2025, fueled by rapid 5G adoption and a surge in data-intensive applications, according to its latest Mobile Broadband Index (MBiT) 2026 report.
The report highlights that India’s monthly 5G data traffic grew by over 70% year-on-year, reaching 12.9 exabytes (EB) in 2025. Notably, 5G now accounts for nearly 47% of total mobile broadband traffic, signaling a major shift toward next-generation connectivity across the country.
Overall mobile data usage also saw strong growth, surpassing 27 EB per month. This rise is largely driven by the increasing consumption of AI-powered applications, 4K video streaming, and cloud gaming, alongside the expansion of enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services.
Metro cities continue to lead in 5G adoption, where the technology contributes up to 58% of total mobile data traffic. However, adoption is rapidly expanding beyond urban centers into Category A, B, and C circles, indicating deeper nationwide penetration of 5G networks.
India’s device ecosystem is also evolving quickly. The country had around 892 million active 4G devices in 2025, with over 383 million already 5G-capable. Additionally, more than 90% of smartphones shipped during the year supported 5G, accelerating readiness for broader network deployment.
The report also points to the growing influence of AI on network demand. As AI-driven applications, immersive digital experiences, and autonomous systems scale, telecom infrastructure will need to evolve into AI-native, low-latency, and highly distributed architectures.
Looking ahead, India is expected to strengthen its global position in 5G, already holding the world’s second-largest 5G subscriber base and data consumption levels. The MBiT Index projects that the country’s 5G user base could exceed 1 billion by 2031.
According to Nokia, this rapid growth marks a new phase in India’s digital transformation, where telecom networks will play a critical role in enabling intelligent services, scalable connectivity, and future-ready digital ecosystems.
