Lok Sabha Question No. 4254 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-18
Subject: Average Per Capital Internet Data Consumption
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: Shri Balashowry Vallabhaneni

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4254 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18 TH  MARCH, 2026

## AVERAGE PER CAPITAL INTERNET DATA CONSUMPTION

## 4254.   SHRI BALASHOWRY VALLABHANENI:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of average per capital internet  data consumption in developed countries of the world and the manner in which it is likely to be compared with India;
- (b) whether it is true that India would be one of the top three countries in the world in internet usage by 2027 and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the manner in which India's internet quality can be compared with other developed countries; and
- (d) the details of 5G penetration in the country so far, State-wise along with the number of people are now using 5G?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR)

(a) As on December 2025, average wireless data usage per wireless data subscriber per month for India is 25.70 GB compared to average monthly mobile broadband traffic of 17.9 GB (as per International  Telecommunication  Union  (ITU)  estimates,  2025)  per  subscriber  in  high-income countries.

- (b) As of December 2025, India had 1.02 billion internet subscribers. According to these figures, India is among the top three countries in the world in terms of internet users count.
- (c) In 2023, Government had notified a revised definition of Broadband speed i.e. > 2Mbps, up from the earlier definition of 256 kbps. As on December 2025, out of a total 1028.61 million internet subscribers, 97.94% are broadband subscribers. India's internet quality has improved significantly in recent years. According to Ookla's Speedtest Global Index data for January 2026, median download speed for mobile broadband in India is 130.24 Mbps. Compared to this, median mobile broadband download speed on global basis is 107.13 Mbps.

To improve quality of service further, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had released revised Quality of Service (QoS) regulations in 2024, introducing tighter benchmarks for parameters like latency and packet drop rate, along with new parameters such as jitter and significant network outage reporting, aligning India's QoS framework with global standards. The regulations also mandate graded financial disincentives for non-compliance. Service providers have been asked to adopt Six Sigma Quality Management Plan to achieve continuous improvement in the quality of services.

(d) As on 28.02.2026, the total count of 5G BTSs in India is 5,23,866. The State-wise count of 5G BTSs and 5G wireless data subscribers  (October 2025)  is  attached as annexure-I .  Licensed Service Area (LSA)-wise percentage population covered by 5G as on 31-12-2025 is also attached in annexure-II .

## Annexure referred to reply to part (d) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question no. 4254 answered on 18 th  March 2026 regarding 'Average Per Capital Internet Data Consumption''

State/UT wise count of 5G BTSs as on 28.02.2026 and 5G wireless data subscribers count (October 2025):

| State/UTs         | Count of 5G BTS   | 5G wireless data subscribers count   |
|-------------------|-------------------|--------------------------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh    | 20,913            | 1,50,29,394                          |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 709               | 5,43,166                             |
| Assam             | 10,147            | 82,63,259                            |
| Bihar             | 27,938            | 2,50,53,716                          |
| Chhattisgarh      | 7,300             | 64,41,085                            |
| Goa               | 1,089             | 6,99,781                             |
| Gujarat           | 35,980            | 2,31,65,163                          |
| Haryana           | 19,064            | 1,09,91,710                          |
| Himachal Pradesh  | 4,662             | 25,97,581                            |
| Jharkhand         | 10,621            | 89,47,953                            |
| Karnataka         | 34,444            | 2,33,90,833                          |
| Kerala            | 21,968            | 97,55,318                            |
| Madhya Pradesh    | 22,473            | 1,81,84,614                          |
| Maharashtra       | 54,815            | 4,50,84,345                          |
| Manipur           | 1,355             | 8,28,374                             |
| Meghalaya         | 896               | 7,14,914                             |
| Mizoram           | 506               | 3,88,067                             |
| Nagaland          | 821               | 5,18,557                             |
| Odisha            | 14,479            | 1,07,47,949                          |
| Punjab            | 17,989            | 97,81,667                            |
| Rajasthan         | 31,343            | 2,06,70,453                          |
| Sikkim            | 358               | 2,47,629                             |
| Tamil Nadu        | 37,855            | 2,22,31,525                          |
| Telangana         | 19,798            | 1,38,23,690                          |

| Tripura                               | 1,401    | 8,71,267     |
|---------------------------------------|----------|--------------|
| Uttar Pradesh                         | 60,637   | 5,02,48,202  |
| Uttarakhand                           | 6,106    | 36,23,827    |
| West Bengal                           | 34,164   | 2,42,31,931  |
| Andaman &Nicobar (UT)                 | 142      | 97,266       |
| Chandigarh (UT)                       | 814      | 7,17,829     |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli &Daman and Diu | 454      | 2,70,275     |
| Delhi                                 | 13,785   | 1,27,81,190  |
| Jammu &Kashmir                        | 7,863    | 45,61,358    |
| Ladakh (UT)                           | 299      | 11,668       |
| Lakshadweep (UT)                      | 8        | 4,396        |
| Puducherry (UT)                       | 670      | 3,99,034     |
| All-india                             | 5,23,866 | 37,60,24,986 |

Annexure referred to reply to part (d) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question no. 4254 answered on 18 th  March 2026 regarding 'Average Per Capital Internet Data Consumption''

LSA-wise Percentage (%) Population covered by 5G network as on 31-12-2025:

| Name of LSA      |   %of population covered by 5G network |
|------------------|----------------------------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh   |                                  87.43 |
| Assam            |                                  77.72 |
| Bihar            |                                  94.52 |
| Delhi            |                                 100    |
| Gujarat          |                                  94.87 |
| Haryana          |                                  99.52 |
| Himachal Pradesh |                                  70    |
| Jammu &Kashmir   |                                  78.28 |
| Karnataka        |                                  79.92 |
| Kerala           |                                  97.54 |
| Kolkata          |                                 100    |
| Madhya Pradesh   |                                  68.71 |
| Maharashtra      |                                  88.35 |
| Mumbai           |                                 100    |
| North-East       |                                  52.72 |
| Odisha           |                                  78.29 |
| Punjab           |                                  97.48 |
| Rajasthan        |                                  77.63 |
| Tamil Nadu       |                                  88.1  |
| UP (East)        |                                  83.97 |
| UP (West)        |                                  86.53 |
| West Bengal      |                                  88.98 |
| All-India        |                                  86.18 |

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