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Key developments: India’s 5G subscriber base has crossed 430 million, covering 35 % of mobile users, and the network is moving from non‑stand‑alone to 5G‑Advanced, paving the way for future 6G standards. A major policy overhaul replaced the century‑old unified licence with a digital authorisation framework, while spectrum and licensing reforms aim to speed deployment. Despite strong rollout, only about 36 % of towers are fibre‑connected, lagging behind the 80 % target for 2030.
Why it matters: The shift to 5G‑Advanced unlocks higher speeds, lower latency and new use cases such as fixed wireless access, which Jio and Airtel are expanding for home broadband. Accelerated regulatory changes reduce barriers for new services and encourage investment in next‑generation infrastructure. India’s push into 6G research and validation of a 1,600‑satellite LEO constellation signal an ambition to become a global standards‑setter and reduce reliance on foreign sat‑com providers.
What to watch next: • Progress on fibre‑ising the remaining tower base to meet the 2030 target. • Commercial rollout of 5G‑Advanced services and early enterprise applications of network slicing. • Funding and milestones for the 104 6G research projects and any pilot deployments. • Deployment timeline for the Jio LEO constellation and its impact on domestic and international sat‑com markets. • Further regulatory tweaks, especially around consumer‑protection tariffs and spectrum allocation, that could shape operator profitability. [[1]]