India, Oct. 9 -- India's rapid 5G deployment is creating a foundation for programmable, AI-enabled networks and the eventual transition to 6G, according to Andres Vicente, CEO for Ericsson Southeast Asia, Australia and India, who outlined the company's India strategy at the Ericsson press conference at India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026.

Vicente said India has deployed 5G at a significantly faster pace than the global average, with 95% of the population covered by mid-band 5G compared with an average of 45% globally.

The scale of deployment is also translating into usage. India now has more than 430 million 5G mobile subscriptions, accounting for around 35% of total subscriptions, while 43% of mobile traffic is running over 5G, according ...