Archive · 20 Jun 2025
Experts Doubt India's 5G Coverage Goal by End-2026
India wants everyone to use 5G by 2026, which is super-fast internet on phones.
But, experts think it's not possible because not enough people have 5G phones.
Even though 5G is available in most places, people are still using older 4G phones because of cost and battery drain.
Experts point out that it takes time to get everyone to switch to 5G, especially in rural areas.
Experts doubt India's 5G coverage goal by the end of 2026.
Telecom regulator data shows low 5G usage compared to 4G.
Government announced 5G roll-out in most districts with many BTS installed.
Union Minister stated India will operate entirely on 5G by 2026-end.
Experts cite handset availability and use-cases as hurdles for 5G adoption.
- Who
- Telecom experts, Union Minister Piyush Goyal, and the government.
- What
- Experts question if India can achieve complete 5G coverage by the end of 2026.
- When
- The goal is to achieve complete 5G coverage by the end of 2026.
- Where
- India
- Why
- Due to the slow adoption of 5G handsets and the lack of use-cases.
Government Stance
Expert Concerns
Coverage Timeline
Government Stance
Aiming for full 5G coverage by 2026-end.
Expert Concerns
Experts view that full coverage is unlikely by 2026 due to slow adoption rates and challenges like handset availability and use-cases.
- 4G Usage
- 75-100% of device time
- 5G Usage
- 3-19% of device time
- 5G BTS Installed
- 4.69 lakh (by February-end)
- Total 4G Subscribers
- 800 million
