100 mn Indian mobile users want 5G, half of them won't mind paying extra

More than 100 million users with 5G-ready smartphones in India wish to upgrade to a 5G subscription in 2023, while more than half of them are open to upgrading to a higher data tier plan in the next 12 months, an Ericsson report said on Wednesday.

The Indian smartphone users in urban centres are anxiously waiting to upgrade to 5G as it gets rolled out next month, and intent to upgrade to 5G in urban India is two times higher than in markets like the UK and US where 5G services are available.

The study, carried out in the second quarter this year, reflects the views of 300 million daily smartphone users in urban centres.

The users are even willing to pay a 45 per cent premium for a plan bundled with novel experiences, the findings showed, which could be a delight for internet service providers ready with 5G, said the study.

Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson also announced the introduction of ultra-lightweight Massive "MIMO 32T32R" radios as the best fit for India's needs - AIR 3219 and AIR 3268 (Antenna Integrated Radio).

These 5G radios, which will be produced in India, are energy efficient and come with coverage-enhancing features such as Uplink Booster that make them very relevant for a densely-populated country, said the company.


"Our new generation 5G and multi-band radios that will be deployed across networks will allow for the best user experience while the improved energy efficiency will reduce the cost of operations and impact on the environment, thereby ensuring sustainable and responsible 5G rollout," said Nitin Bansal, Head of Ericsson India and Head of Network Solutions, South-east Asia, Oceania and India, Ericsson.

5G will improve network satisfaction in India especially for the gaming experience.

According to the study, seven in 10 of current smartphone users are looking forward to enhanced video streaming quality once they switch to 5G.


The study tested 27 different 5G enhanced services with Indian consumers to reveal the top 10 services that Indian consumers wish for on their 5G plans.

"The transition to 5G provides an opportunity for service providers in India to strengthen their position in the consumer market, with a focus on 5G quality and availability," said Jasmeet Sethi, Head of Ericsson ConsumerLab.

Ericsson currently powers 130 live 5G networks in 56 countries, with 17 live 5G standalone networks across the world. - IANS