As of July-August 2025, India had nearly 0.5 million 5G base transceiver stations (BTS).
All states now have some 5G coverage, and about 99.6% of districts have at least some 5G signal.
The major telecom operators (Jio, Airtel, Vi) are aggressively adding BTSs and expanding to more cities and circles.
Standalone 5G (5G SA) is getting traction especially with Reliance Jio; that means networks built specifically for 5G rather than relying partly on 4G infrastructure. 5G SA gives better performance (latency, consistency) than Non-Standalone (NSA) modes.
Smartphone brands are offering more affordable 5G capable phones. Entry-level and mid-range devices with 5G are increasingly common. So it’s no longer only premium phones. Recent launches like the Samsung Galaxy M17 5G at ~₹12,499 are an example.
As per reports, India has crossed ~250 million 5G subscribers.
Operators are now deploying in more circles, adding more cities, improving in-building coverage etc. The pace is increasing.
BSNL (a government operator) has completed trials for its 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) and is planning rollouts in 2025.
Spectrum allocation, infrastructure investment, and agreements (e.g., Airtel buying spectrum from Adani) show that telcos are investing in 5G expansion.
Even though almost all districts have 5G signal, the quality, speed, and consistency vary widely. Urban areas often get better performance; many rural or semi-urban places still struggle.
Indoors coverage (within buildings, houses) is less reliable in many places. Sometimes 5G is available outdoors but drops to 4G indoors.
Many 5G base stations depend on microwave links (which have latency and capacity constraints) rather than fiber for backhaul. Fiber connectivity is key for delivering high-speed, stable 5G.
Infrastructure costs are high: spectrum, base stations, fiber, etc. This slows down full deployment everywhere.
Just because a phone is “5G capable” doesn’t mean it supports all the bands used by Indian carriers. Some foreign models or cheaper phones may not support certain crucial bands, which limits performance or causes patchy coverage.
Also, some users find that their phone shows “5G” but the speed is not much better (or even worse), depending on local signal strength and whether 5G SA or NSA is in use.
Phones with full 5G capability, good band support, and solid performance are more expensive. For a large section of the population, 4G phones still give “good enough” internet for typical usage (chat, social media, videos).
Data plans too: sometimes 5G is offered with same plans as 4G, but operators may limit the speeds or time, so the benefit is limited unless you have a premium plan or good coverage.
Many users may not notice a big difference unless they do things that benefit from 5G: high-quality streaming, cloud gaming, AR/VR, large file transfers, low-latency tasks. Many daily tasks (social media, messaging) work well enough on 4G, so the marginal benefit of 5G may not be huge for such users right now.
Also, some issues like battery drain, heat, and proper network support need to be better for “premium” 5G experiences.
Yes — mostly. But with caveats.
If you live in a major city, especially metros or tier-2 urban centres, chances are 5G will give you noticeable improvements over 4G in speed, latency, and responsiveness, provided you have a compatible device and good operator coverage.
For many semi-urban or rural users, the improvements may be inconsistent or only visible in certain spots. Infrastructure is improving but not uniformly solid everywhere yet.
Entry-mid range 5G phones are now affordable enough to be a good option, especially if you plan to keep your phone for several years. Futureproofing makes sense.
Check which 5G bands your preferred operator uses in your city (most likely n78, maybe n28, etc.) and make sure the phone supports them.
Look for Standalone 5G (SA) support if possible — better performance, lower latency.
Check local coverage: try to see user-reports or speed tests from your area.
Be aware of plans: does your data plan allow true high-speed 5G usage, or are they throttled / restricted?
Battery life: 5G uses more power especially in areas of weak coverage, so prioritize phones with good battery capacity and efficient chipsets.
Further expansion of 5G BTS, especially by Vodafone Idea and BSNL, to cover more priority circles.
Better in-building solutions (IBS) so inside offices, malls, homes 5G works better.
More affordable phones with stronger 5G band support.
More use-cases: gaming cloud, AR/VR, IoT, smart cities etc. as latency drops and network reliability improves.
Improvement in fiber backhaul and network densification to close speed / latency gaps.
In short: India is becoming 5G ready, but not perfectly ready everywhere yet. If you’re in a major city, buying a 5G phone now will likely give you real benefit. If you’re in a more remote place, you’ll get some advantages, but maybe not the full “5G experience” yet.
