India telecom sector eyes 6G leadership and potential tariff hikes

India's telecommunications sector is undergoing significant shifts in usage, technology, and pricing. According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), wireless data usage rose by 24.74 per cent during 2025-26, reaching 2,85,376 petabytes. While total data revenue increased by 11.53 per cent, the revenue realized per gigabyte declined by 10.59 per cent.

Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia reported that 5G network coverage has reached 86 per cent of the population, with nearly 500 million customers currently using 5G. The government aims to double this to 1 billion users by 2030. Looking toward the future, India is targeting a 10 per cent share of global 6G patents and aims to transition from a “standard taker” to a “standard maker” in international telecom frameworks.

Market analysts from Centrum Institutional Research suggest that telecom tariffs could increase by 12-15 per cent over the next four to five months due to market consolidation among the primary players: Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL). Financial forecasts indicate potential growth in average revenue per user (ARPU) for these operators, driven by 2G to 5G migration and increased postpaid subscriptions.