Top Events in the Indian Telecom Sector for 2023

India's telecom industry had a respectable year in 2023. The introduction of 5G in 2022 will always be the highlight, but the Telecom Bill 2023's passage in 2023 will be more remembered. As 5G expanded to additional areas, the telecoms saw phenomenal growth and the customer experience improved dramatically. As we begin the new year 2024, let's review the past year to see what the industry's major achievements were.

Rapid 5G Deployment

India has been praised for having the fastest global rollout of 5G. Even though China may not agree, the nation will have deployed nearly 4 lakh 5G BTS (base transceiver stations) by the end of November 2023. According to Ookla, the magic of 5G allowed India's median mobile download rates to reach 94.62 Mbps in November 2023. In November 2022, a year ago, this number was 18.26 Mbps. India is currently ranked 18th out of all countries in Ookla's worldwide index, offering the fastest median download speeds, up from 105th place one year ago. Jio has deployed 5G in about 8000 cities and towns to date, and Airtel ought to be in the same range as well.

Introduction of Telecom Bill 2023

Public opinion on the Telecom Bill 2023 is divided, while industry support is strong. Numerous issues were covered under the new telecom bill, including whether or not OTT (over-the-top) players would be subject to the telecom legislation, how spectrum will be distributed to satellite communications companies, and more.

The Telecom Bill also tackles the overabundance of litigation that the industry faces. All things considered, industry leaders and players have expressed gratitude for the measure, which would clear the way for the future of the Indian telecom sector.

Introduction of Fixed Wireless Access

Airtel and Jio introduced 5G FWA (fixed-wireless access) to the Indian market. Only two cities still have access to Airtel, although Jio AirFiber has expanded to 514 cities and towns. However, in 2024, Airtel intends to quickly enter more cities. Jio AirFiber will expand to additional cities where the telco has previously launched its 5G network.

The implications are high since FWA may be the first 5G use case that allows telecom companies to recoup their significant investments in the rollout of the newest technology.

At the end of 2022, there were 100 million connections worldwide; by 2028, that number is predicted to reach 300 million, with the bulk of those connections being 5G. By the end of May 2022, 85 operators across 46 nations had started offering 5G FWA services.

By 2027, FWA connections will have tripled in size, bringing broadband to over 800 million people, and will be worth USD 88.5 billion, growing at a 99.3% compound annual growth rate.

Advancement of the Satellite Sector

Consumer use of satellite technology is still in its infancy in India. But this year saw a few significant advancements. The government has given Eutelsat OneWeb all the approvals it needs to begin providing satellite services. The spectrum that the telecom bill states can be administratively distributed to the satcom companies is now being awaited.

At the 2023 India Mobile Congress, Jio unveiled Jio SpaceFiber, a B2B offering that will go battle against Eutelsat OneWeb from the Bharti Group.