Nearly 10% of smartphones in India are already 5G-enabled, claims survey

The report also states a compelling data that the 5G phone users in India are getting faster download speeds than users who have 4G smartphones with same 4G network.

With the 5G network launch approaching in India, there are already a substantial number of users who are in possession of a 5G-enabled smartphone. According to a report by Opensignal, over 9.7% of active smartphones in India are already 5G enabled giving telecom companies a 5G ready market.

Users living in metro cities are going to experience 5G network services by end of October.  (HT File Photo)

“5G uptake could explode very quickly as these (already having 5G) users do not need to buy new smartphones to be able to take advantage of 5G services,” the report stated.

5G smartphones already giving faster speed

The report also states a compelling data that the 5G phone users in India are getting faster download speeds than users who have 4G smartphones with same 4G network. “Users of these high-specification devices experience 40.8% faster download speeds (on average in a telecom circle), than non-5G devices,” the report states, though mentioning that these experiences vary significantly from circle to circle and city levels.

The report points that for city level, 5G-enabled smartphone users in 30 Indian cities in India are getting 39.2% to 59.3% faster download speeds than users using non-5G phones.

The report, which collected data till July 29, stated that Andhra Pradesh has the greatest number (14%) of 5G smartphone models by telecom circles, followed by Bihar (9.3%), Maharashtra (8.5%) and Gujarat (7.7%). In city wise comparison, Delhi leads (10.8%) with the largest proportion of India’s 5G-capable smartphone hardware, followed by Hyderabad (10.3%). Mumbai and Bangalore are third and fourth on the list (both having 6.6% users).

So, now it seems that it is better to own a 5G smartphone than a non-5G smartphone. The number of affordable 5G phones in the Indian market, too, is going to increase. Reliance Jio is working with Google to develop an affordable 5G smartphone like the JioPhone Next.

If you’re buying a new smartphone, it’s prudent to go with a 5G-enabled device. Users living in metro cities are going to experience 5G before other parts of the country.