New Delhi, March 31 (IANS) India’s appetite for mobile data continues to surge, with average monthly consumption per user crossing 31 GB in 2025 — marking an 18 per cent compound annual growth rate over the past five years, according to a new report released on Tuesday.

The latest edition of the Mobile Broadband Index released by Nokia highlighted how rising 5G adoption and increasing use of data-heavy applications are driving this growth across the country.

The report noted that Indians are consuming more data than ever before, fueled by services such as 4K video streaming, cloud gaming and AI-based applications.

Total mobile data traffic in India crossed 27 exabytes per month in 2025. Of this, 5G alone contributed nearly 47 per cent, with its traffic growing 70 per cent year-on-year to reach 12.9 exabytes per month.

The report pointed out that metro cities continue to lead in 5G adoption, where the technology now accounts for 58 per cent of total mobile data traffic.

At the same time, growth is spreading quickly to smaller circles, indicating that 5G is no longer limited to urban pockets but is becoming a nationwide phenomenon.

India’s device ecosystem is also playing a crucial role in this shift. The number of active 4G devices stood at 892 million in 2025, out of which over 383 million devices are already 5G-capable.

Additionally, more than 90 per cent of smartphones shipped during the year supported 5G, making the transition smoother for users.

The report also underlines the growing role of artificial intelligence in shaping future network demand.

As AI-driven applications and immersive digital experiences become more common, telecom networks will need to evolve to handle higher data loads, lower latency and more complex computing needs.

Looking ahead, the report projected that India’s 5G subscriber base could cross 1 billion by 2031.

–IANS

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