Market research firm Counterpoint said on Thursday that by the end of next year, India’s shipments of 5G smartphones will be higher than those of 4G smartphones. This is because the high-speed network is being used by more people, and sales of phones in the lower price bands are going up.
Even though India’s overall smartphone shipments are expected to go down this year because of problems getting parts and other macroeconomic factors, 5G will continue to drive smartphone demand in 2023 as well, according to Counterpoint Research.
In India, 5G data speeds are expected to be about 10 times faster than 4G. This network is important for new technologies like self-driving cars and artificial intelligence.
Counterpoint said that the share of 5G phones that cost less than 20,000 rupees (or $241.55) will rise to 30% in 2023 from 4% last year.
Related: Malaysia’s 5G network plans will be reconsidered, according to new Prime Minister Anwar.
India’s biggest telecom company, Reliance (RELI.NS), is working with Alphabet Inc.’s (GOOGL.O) Google to make a cheap 5G phone. This is because Reliance spent the most money at India’s $19 billion 5G spectrum auction in August.
Counterpoint says that the number of 5G smartphones shipped will pass 100 million in the second quarter of 2023 and will be more than the number of 4G smartphones shipped by the end of the year.
The analysis firm thinks that by the end of 2023, problems like shortages of parts, inflation, geopolitical conflicts, and a lack of 5G networks will be less of a problem, which will lead to widespread use of 5G.
Reuters reported that the Indian government is trying to get Apple, Samsung, and other mobile phone companies to prioritise releasing software updates to support 5G in the country. This is because many models are not ready for the recently launched high-speed service.
