# Indian telecom and smartphone market trends

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/indian-telecommunications-and-smartphone-market-trends
> Updated: 2026-10-05T08:09:36.000Z. Sources: 17. Developments: 2.

The Indian telecommunications and smartphone markets are experiencing shifts driven by rising costs and network evolution. In the smartphone sector, average prices rose by 16% in the first half of 2026 due to a global memory chip shortage and a weaker rupee, causing a decline in budget-segment shipments while the premium segment grew.

Recent data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) shows wireless data usage rose by 24.74 per cent during 2025-26, totaling 2,85,376 petabytes. Although total data revenue increased by 11.53 per cent, the revenue realized per gigabyte declined by 10.59 per cent.

Regarding network expansion, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia reported that 5G coverage has reached 86 per cent of the population, with nearly 500 million customers currently using the service. The government intends to reach 1 billion 5G users by 2030 and is targeting a 10 per cent share of global 6G patents, aiming to transition from a ‘standard taker’ to a ‘standard maker’ in international 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. This anticipated hike is driven by market consolidation among Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL). Such shifts are expected to boost average revenue per user (ARPU) as consumers migrate from 2G to 5G and adopt more postpaid subscriptions.

## Timeline

### 2026-10-05: India telecom sector eyes 6G leadership and potential tariff hikes

India's telecom sector sees a 24.74% jump in data usage and rapid 5G expansion, with potential tariff hikes of 12-15% expected soon as the nation targets global leadership in 6G standards.

12 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/india-telecom-sector-may-see-12-15-tariff-hike

### 2026-09-28: India smartphone market faces price hikes and shifting 4G demand

Rising component costs and a memory chip shortage have driven a 16% average smartphone price hike in India, causing budget segment shipments to collapse while 4G demand is expected to rebound.

5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/india-smartphone-market-faces-price-hikes-and-shifting-4g-demand

---
Cite as: Indian telecom and smartphone market trends. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/indian-telecommunications-and-smartphone-market-trends