Indian data usage balloons on 5G smartphone sales surge

5G phones now dominate India’s smartphone market and are pushing data consumption to new highs. According to industry estimates, 5G devices made up about 90% of all smartphone shipments in 2025, up from 85% a year earlier. The sharpest growth came at the low end of the market: shipments of 5G phones priced under ₹10,000 jumped about 1900% year-on-year as operators widened their 5G networks.

Cheaper 5G handsets and broader coverage are pulling millions of new users onto faster mobile networks, which is driving heavier use of video, gaming, and other data-heavy apps. This shift is reshaping how Indians access the internet, with mobile networks carrying a rising share of the country’s digital traffic.