As India accelerates its push into next-generation telecom technologies, GSMA Director General Vivek Badrinath has urged Indian telecom operators to focus on monetising 5G before shifting attention to 6G development, warning that the full potential of 5G remains largely untapped.
📶 5G Monetisation Still Elusive
Despite two years since its commercial rollout, India’s 5G ecosystem is yet to deliver significant returns. Badrinath emphasized that most global 5G deployments, including in India, are still non-standalone, offering enhanced mobile broadband without leveraging advanced features like network slicing, low latency, and enterprise-grade applications.
“The real value of 5G lies in enterprise adoption—automated factories, instant payments, and smart infrastructure. These use cases are still underdeveloped,” Badrinath told Moneycontrol.
🧠6G Research Gains Momentum, But Standards Still Evolving
While India’s collaborative approach to 6G R&D, involving academia and global partnerships, has been praised, Badrinath cautioned that global standardisation for 6G is still in early stages, with commercial deployment unlikely before 2030.
🏗️ India’s Market Structure Supports Investment
Despite low tariffs, India’s telecom sector remains in “reasonable health,” according to Badrinath. He credited the country’s balanced market structure and policy environment for enabling continued investment in infrastructure and innovation.
đź’ˇ Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) Seen as Key Monetisation Path
Industry experts point to 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) as a promising revenue stream. With low fiber penetration in India, telcos like Jio and Airtel are aggressively expanding FWA services to underserved households and SMBs, potentially unlocking a $6 billion annual opportunity by 2027.
