Expansion and Status of 5G Services

**Executive Summary** The Ministry of Communications report details the expansion and current status of 5G services in India, as of December 31, 2025. It highlights the deployment of 5G Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) across states and UTs, government initiatives to improve coverage, and TRAI's quality of service benchmarks. A key date is October 1, 2024, which marked the effective date for revised QoS benchmarks. **Key Points / Main Content** * **5G Coverage:** * 5G services have been rolled out in all States/UTs and are available in 99.9% of the districts in the country. * Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have installed 5.18 Lakhs 5G Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) across the country as of December 31, 2025. * TSPs have installed 5G BTS in 1.12 Lakh villages across the country as of December 31, 2025. * **Government Initiatives to Improve Coverage:** * Auction of spectrum for 5G mobile services in 2022. * Financial reforms to rationalize Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR), Bank Guarantees (BGs), and interest rates. * Removal of Spectrum Usage Charges for spectrum acquired in auction of 2022 and thereafter. * Simplification of procedure for SACFA (Standing Advisory Committee on Radio Frequency Allocations) clearance. * Launch of GatiShakti Sanchar portal and RoW (Right of Way) Rules to streamline RoW permissions and clearance of installation of telecom infrastructure. * Time-bound permission for use of street furniture for installation of small cells and telecommunication line. * **Quality of Service (QoS):** * TRAI released revised Quality of Service benchmarks on August 2, 2024, vide regulations "The Standards of Quality of Service of Access (Wireline and Wireless) and Broadband (Wireline and Wireless) Service Regulations, 2024." * The regulations are effective from October 1, 2024. * TRAI regularly monitors the performance of service providers against the benchmarks. * **BTS Deployment Factors:** * Deployment of 5G BTS by telecom service providers in specific locations depends on techno-commercial feasibility, penetration of 5G compatible devices, and availability of necessary RoW permissions. * **State-wise BTS Deployment:** * Annexure-I provides a state-wise count of the number of 5G BTSs as of December 31, 2025. **Impact Analysis** **Stakeholder: Telecom Service Providers (TSPs)** * **Impact:** TSPs are required to deploy 5G BTSs and adhere to TRAI's QoS benchmarks. The deployment depends on techno-commercial feasibility and RoW permissions. * **Action Required:** TSPs need to monitor their performance against the TRAI QoS benchmarks, ensure compliance with the new regulations, and work on deploying more 5G BTSs, while considering technical and financial viability and RoW permissions. **Stakeholder: Consumers** * **Impact:** Consumers are expected to benefit from improved 5G coverage and quality of service. * **Action Required:** No direct action required; however, consumers can monitor the performance of TSPs and provide feedback to TRAI regarding QoS. **Stakeholder: TRAI** * **Impact:** Accountable for monitoring the performance of TSPs against the QoS benchmarks and enforcing the new regulations. * **Action Required:** Continue to monitor the performance of service providers against the benchmarks regularly. **Stakeholder: Government** * **Impact:** Responsible for creating a conducive environment for 5G deployment through policy measures and initiatives to streamline permissions. * **Action Required:** Continue to implement initiatives to facilitate the deployment of 5G infrastructure and monitor the overall progress of 5G rollout in the country.

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