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Tag: mobile broadband

  • Indian Telecom Carriers Face 5G Speeds Squeeze as Data Traffic Surges

    Indian Telecom Carriers Face 5G Speeds Squeeze as Data Traffic Surges

    Mobile subscribers in India are consuming an average of 31.1 gigabytes of cellular data each month, driving monthly mobile network traffic to 27.6 exabytes and squeezing real-world 5G connection speeds across major commercial centres.

    Monthly 5G volume climbed 70 per cent year over year to 12.9 exabytes, now accounting for 46.8 per cent of all cellular data traffic in the country, according to Nokia’s Mobile Broadband India Traffic Index 2026. Network capacity is falling behind that appetite. Even as carrier icons display 5G service on phone screens, users face sluggish response times and reduced throughput across shopping centres, transport hubs and high-density housing developments.

    Traffic Surges Overwhelm Local Cells

    Radio cells in major urban corridors now handle simultaneous demand for video streaming, cloud gaming, digital retail checkouts and video conferencing. When thousands of handsets connect to a single base station, available radio spectrum splits across those devices, causing local throughput to fall sharply regardless of advertised network capabilities.

    The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India reported that total wireless mobile data consumption reached 84,424 petabytes during the April to June quarter of 2026. That represents an 8.30 per cent quarter-on-quarter increase from 77,953 petabytes. Average monthly wireless data usage per subscriber rose 6.32 per cent to 28.39 gigabytes over the same period.

    Reliance Jio reported in its October 2026 financial disclosures that its user base included roughly 300 million 5G customers out of 542 million total connections. Individual monthly data usage on Jio’s network reached 44.2 gigabytes per subscriber, up from 38.7 gigabytes twelve months earlier. Handling that traffic volume demands constant radio densification and high-capacity backhaul lines.

    The Backhaul Bottleneck and Indoor Walls

    Carrier deployments show rapid physical additions, but transmission feeds from base stations to core networks frequently fall short. Fixed wireless access services have intensified that strain. Home broadband products such as Reliance Jio’s JioAirFiber and Bharti Airtel’s Xstream AirFiber now generate more than 25 per cent of all 5G data traffic in India, locking heavy continuous data streams onto cellular masts.

    Physical structural barriers compound the problem. High-frequency 5G radio signals, particularly mid-band 3.3 GHz frequencies, struggle to penetrate concrete walls, metallic cladding and coated window glass in indoor commercial venues. When indoor signal strength falls, base stations downgrade customer devices to more robust but slower transmission modulations, cutting download rates.

    Regulator drive tests conducted in July 2026 across Kolkata, Howrah and Hooghly logged 122 poor-signal samples for Airtel, 181 for Jio, 401 for Vodafone Idea and 3,904 for state-run BSNL across roughly 65,000 samples per operator along 309.7 kilometres of roadways and hotspots. Cellular operators rely on hardware vendors like Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung Networks and Mavenir for carrier aggregation and active antenna arrays, but equipment on towers cannot bypass missing fibre lines.

    Operator Speeds and Consumer Grievances

    Performance gaps between operators remain wide in field measurements. Testing conducted by nPerf across real users between April 2025 and March 2026 showed Bharti Airtel leading average download performance at 113.81 megabits per second, with an upload rate of 16.84 Mbps and latency of 58.98 milliseconds. Reliance Jio recorded 94.22 Mbps down, 8.97 Mbps up and latency of 62.09 milliseconds.

    Vodafone Idea trailed with average download speeds of 75.80 Mbps, higher upload speeds of 14.51 Mbps and elevated latency of 111.60 milliseconds. BSNL delivered 15.11 Mbps down and 5.45 Mbps up, reflecting its reliance on an indigenous 4G network deployed with TCS, Tejas Networks and C-DOT. State filings showed BSNL operated 95,511 active 4G sites out of 97,672 installed units as of January 15, 2026.

    Capital Allocation and Network Expansion

    Private operators have pursued diverging technical strategies to maintain performance. Reliance Jio built its standalone 5G network from the outset, whereas Bharti Airtel expanded via non-standalone 5G configurations while adding infrastructure. Airtel deployed more than 2,900 new 5G sites across Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir over 12 months, covering 77 districts, alongside 2,750 sites in Gujarat.

    Vodafone Idea is executing a phased catch-up strategy. After servicing 43 cities across 17 priority circles, the company mapped out an expansion in March 2026 targeting 90 additional cities to reach 133 municipal markets. Network equipment suppliers including Nokia, Ericsson and Samsung have secured rollout contracts to modernize Vi’s physical gear, but spectrum density in residential districts remains thin.

    Retailers and mobile commerce operators rely directly on cellular network stability at the point of sale. Digital payments, dynamic in-store inventory tracking and rapid logistics fulfillment require low-latency cell handoffs that degraded 5G connections fail to deliver during peak foot-traffic hours. The pressure now shifts to municipal fibre approvals and small-cell indoor installations.

    The next major performance test will come as Vodafone Idea works to operationalize its expanded 133-city footprint.

  • Viettel Wins 240 MHz Spectrum to Enter Dominican Republic

    Viettel Wins 240 MHz Spectrum to Enter Dominican Republic

    Vietnam’s Viettel secured 240 MHz of spectrum in the Dominican Republic to deploy 4G and 5G networks across the Caribbean nation. The award expands the group’s overseas operations into an 11th foreign market after international revenue rose 23.9 per cent to USD 3.34 billion in 2025.

    Telecommunications regulator INDOTEL approved the license transfer under Resolution No. 073-2026 on August 19, 2026. The 20-year allocation covers frequencies across the 700 MHz, 2.3 GHz, and 3.6 GHz bands, combining low-band reach for remote regions with mid-band capacity for high-density mobile broadband.

    Terms of the Caribbean Concession

    Viettel Global, the international investment arm of the Hanoi-based group, won the airwaves in a competitive tender. The company is setting up a local operating business to construct the physical network and run consumer and enterprise digital services.

    Chairman and chief executive Tao Duc Thang said the group plans a long-term network build focused on modern infrastructure, with priority given to connecting underserved and rural communities across the country.

    Exporting the Southeast Asian Playbook

    The Caribbean venture follows an expansion strategy Viettel has used across Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The group operates across 10 overseas markets and holds the top mobile subscriber share in seven of them, sustaining nine straight years of double-digit international revenue growth.

    Viettel has 90 days from the August 19 resolution to finalize and sign the concession agreement with INDOTEL before breaking ground on network infrastructure.

  • Nifty Opens Pre-Orders for 4.2Gbps WiMAX 5G Mobile Broadband in Japan

    Nifty Opens Pre-Orders for 4.2Gbps WiMAX 5G Mobile Broadband in Japan

    Japanese internet service provider Nifty opened pre-orders for its @nifty WiMAX +5G broadband package, delivering theoretical download speeds of up to 4.2Gbps across Japan.

    The service operates as both fixed-wireless home internet and portable mobile connectivity without requiring physical fiber installation in the premises.

    Network Speeds and Usage Limits

    Users receive unmetered monthly data allowances across the WiMAX network footprint. Nifty maintains standard network controls, reserving the ability to throttle throughput during periods of severe network congestion or exceptionally heavy data consumption.

    The Push for Fixed-Wireless Access

    Japanese broadband operators increasingly pitch high-speed 5G fixed-wireless access as a friction-free alternative to traditional fiber connections in urban apartments and rental properties. Eliminating technician visits and wall drilling cuts consumer onboarding times to the arrival of the hardware, intensifying competition against fixed-line incumbents.

    Pre-orders are open now, with commercial service activation and device shipments scheduled to begin in late October.

  • UN calls for “new deal” on mobile broadband

    UN calls for “new deal” on mobile broadband

    The UN Broadband Commission has called for a “New Deal” involving fresh industry collaboration and public-private partnerships to help connect the 5 billion people who lack mobile broadband access.

    At the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development’s 2017 Spring Meeting in Hong Kong yesterday, participants debated the need for a new deal between all broadband stakeholders to work towards full global connectivity and digital transformation.

    Discussions had a particular emphasis on remote and rural areas – especially in the UN’s list of Least Developed Countries – which represent the biggest challenge for the industry.

    The Commission underlined the need to build an ecosystem with government, with all ministries and the private sector working together for more efficient investment and taxation, as well as issues associated with the cost of spectrum auctions in markets with the widest digital divides.

    “Our central conviction is that broadband and ICTs are critical if we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” ITU secretary general and Broadband Commission co-vice chair Houlin Zhao said.

    “ICTs underpin vital achievements and modern services in many sectors, and governments and industry must increasingly work together to create the conditions so badly needed to facilitate the growth of broadband for sustainable development.”

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