EXPANDING THE IOT FRONTIER WITH 5G-POWERED INNOVATION

India's telecom industry is at the heart of IoT expansion, enabling smart cities, industrial automation, and a connected digital ecosystem.

- LT GEN DR SP KOCHHAR

The Economic Survey 2025 suggests India has become the second-largest telecommunications market globally, with over 1.18 billion telephone subscribers and 941 million broadband connections as of October 2024. This remarkable expansion in telecom infrastructure has played a crucial role in accelerating the growth of Internet of Things (IoT) services across the country.

India's telecom industry has experienced remarkable growth, culminating in a rapid transition to 5G technology. By October 2024, the average monthly data consumption per wireless user reached 21.2 GB, with the number of 5G Base Transceiver Station sites crossing the 4.6 lakh mark to meet the growing demand. This swift expansion elevated India's global mobile broadband speed ranking from 118th to 18th as of January 2025.

The government's commitment to digital inclusion and substantial investments from major telecom operators have been instrumental in this progress. As the industry moves towards 5G Advanced, it is poised to enhance connectivity further and drive socioeconomic development across the nation.

Telecom operators are not just connectivity providers but key enablers of India's digital economy, accelerating loT adoption through robust 5G infrastructure.

5G AND 5G ADVANCED: ACCELERATING IOT ADOPTION

This widespread availability of affordable smartphones and IoT-enabled devices, coupled with advancements in cloud computing, big data analytics and AI-driven insights, has fuelled the rapid adoption of IoT solutions. Additionally, the increasing penetration of high-speed broadband, 5G networks, has provided the necessary connectivity framework for seamless machine-to-machine or M2M communication and real-time data exchange. This IoT adoption can potentially drive efficiency, innovation, and economic growth across various sectors, such as healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing, and smart cities.