With the growth of smartphones market in India, 3G services also picked up last year, which was the key reason for the growth in overall mobile data consumption in India.
3G data usage grew 114 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in 2014 compared with last year and 3G data per user per month compared with 2G (41 per cent) also showed a paradigm shift in the preference of Indian subscribers, a report said.
According to the Nokia Networks’ MBit Index study, an annual report on mobile broadband performance in India, there was 74 per cent increase in mobile data traffic generated by both 2G and 3G broadband services at the end of 2014, compared with the beginning of the same year.
On an average, 3G data use increased to 688 MB per month in 2014, indicating a 29 per cent jump compared with 2013. On an average, 2G data use also rose to 216 MB per month, indicating a 48 per cent jump, and improvements in 2G network quality for mobile broadband access, it added.
“The 2014 study results clearly show the strong momentum of 3G in India, which has been the primary driver for the data traffic growth. A surge in 3G and 4G compatible smartphone use underlines the greater need for operators to expand the 3G network coverage and selectively rollout 4G services for higher speeds across all the circles while modernising the existing 2G networks,” Sandeep Girotra, Vice-President and Head of India Region, Nokia Networks, said. On an average, a 3G user also consumed 3.2 times more data than a 2G user in 2014. The study also showed an increase in the smartphone use.
4G opportunity Although 4G in India is in its early stage, the country already has 5.5 million 4G capable devices but only about 85,000 subscribers are active long-term users.
This indicates another significant opportunity for selective rollout of 4G networks and services in the country, it added.