At least 40 million smartphone users in India could subscribe to 5G services in the first year of it being rolled out, and fixed wireless access (FWA) has a great potential in the country, according to a study.

In India, where commercial 5G networks were not live, an existing base of 22 per cent of smartphone users with 5G-capable handsets could provide a secure foundation for service providers to drive quick adoption of 5G, a report by Swedish telecom equipment manufacturer Ericsson said.

The report cites FWA as a potential opportunity for 5G in India, with a third of urban internet users find 5G home broadband to be extremely relevant and are even willing to give up their existing fixed broadband provider.

India has the biggest rise in intention to upgrade, with 67 per cent of the users expressing an intention to take up 5G once it is available, an increase of 14 percentage points over 2019.

Consumers in the country are willing to pay 50 per cent more for 5G plans with bundled digital services, compared to just a 10 per cent premium for 5G connectivity.

About 7 in 10 of the potential early adopters expect higher speeds than 4G, while 6 in 10 expect pricing innovation from operators such for data sharing between family members or across devices, it added.

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