India saw a massive leap in 3G data traffic during 2013, according to NSN’s annual report on mobile broadband in the country.
There was a combined 87% rise in data traffic generated by 2G and 3G services across the year, while 3G data traffic leapt by 146%, surpassing the world average that is roughly doubling every year. 2G data traffic continues to stabilise, growing by 59% over the same period.
Mobile data traffic generated by 3G services more than doubled in India in 2013, a rate much higher than growth seen in other parts of the world where mobile broadband data is expanding at 100% on average.
NSN’s MBit Index also shows that 3G users continue to consume more data on average than 2G users. In December 2013, a 3G user consumed 532 megabytes of data compared to 146 megabyte consumption over 2G. In some of the major urban centres the average data consumption per user is as high as one gigabyte per month, indicating the rising popularity and uptake of 3G across India. In addition, premium tariff reductions in 3G services in early 2013 led to an increased migration of high end 2G customers to 3G.
Analysis by circles shows that category A is the highest contributor of 3G in India, driving half of all mobile data in the country. 3G mobile data consumption grew by a record of 185% in 2013, a remarkable increase considering that these circles had registered the highest 3G payload the year before. In category B, 3G data payload surpassed that of metros with 3G now accounting for 31% of the total traffic. Both categories indicate a big demand of high- speed services, giving operators a huge opportunity to offer superior connectivity to their customers.
However, further research in ‘Top 50’ cities in all category circles reveals that 3G coverage in India is still limited and requires focused investments to achieve the data performance users demand. In category A for instance, the analysis of the leading 50 cities where 3G has been launched shows that additional 10% to 15% 3G sites are needed to match the existing 2G coverage. In category B there is a gap of 15% to 20% sites. Moreover, there are still some cities among the top 50 where 3G has not yet been launched. On average, 20% to 25% additional sites are needed to cover the cities that are not yet covered in category A and B.
“India is recording mobile broadband data growth figures higher than most other markets,” said Sandeep Girotra, head of India region at NSN. “With the recent spectrum auctions paving the way for acceleration of mobile broadband penetration in the country, there is a great opportunity for India to create a world-class infrastructure and improve the lives of millions of Indians. This can be achieved through a wider 3G rollout as well as through selected introduction of LTE technologies and the modernization of existing GSM networks.”
