India Will Be 100% 4G Nation In 2018; Jio Will Be The Catalyst – OpenSignal Report

OpenSignal, which specializes in crowdsourced wireless coverage mapping all over the world, has predicted that 4G wave is slowly but steadily engulfing entire India; and in one of the bravest prediction ever made, they have claimed that India will become 100% 4G nation in 2018.

Besides, special praise has been showered on Reliance Jio, terming them as the catalyst which is triggering this massive change in the way Indians are consuming mobile Internet.

At the same time, they have predicted that Jio may raise their tariff in 2018, as their focus shifts to profits and revenues.

Will OpenSignal’s predictions come true? We try to read between the lines here..

OpenSignal: India All Set To Become 100% 4G In 2018

In their annual report, wherein they have analysed and studied 4G performance and usage in India this year, OpenSignal has shared some interesting insights and thoughts about its expansion in the coming year.

As per OpenSignal, the usage and adoption of 4G services will continue to thrive, as every telecom company will aim for its expansion, across every part of the country.

If we believe OpenSignal’s daring prediction, then India will become a 100% 4G nation by the end of 2018.

Supporting their claim, they have referenced Crisil’s predictions, which state that mobile data penetration in India will reach whopping 80% in 2018, up from 40% at present.

The report also takes help from TRAI’s reports, according to which Indians consumed 4.2 million terabytes of data, out of which 4G accounted for 3.9 million TBs (till June quarter). This is an increase of 500-times, compared to last year, and as per OpenSignal, the trend will continue in 2018 as well, thereby making India a truly 4G nation.

As per OpenSignal, India is right now world’s 2nd fastest growing telecom market, and 4G will simply fuel this growth to even higher.

Jio Is The Catalyst; But Will It Raise Tariff?

The report from OpenSignal showers special praise for Reliance Jio, as they demolished the status-quo of mobile internet, and disrupted everything.

Due to Jio’s aggressive push, the price of per GB data reduced up to 80%, and their relentless push for 4G connectivity ushered a new dawn of mobile Internet in the country.

The report said,

“Jio’s widespread 4G access, along with its at-first free and later heavily discounted data and voice plans, quickly won the hearts — and wallets — of more than 100 million mobile users across the country.”

As per OpenSignal, Jio’s customers were able to access LTE signals 91.6% of the time, a feat which no other telecom operator has been able to achieve.

However, the report cautions that 4G speed remains one of the biggest concerns for all, and India has already been ranked lowest in the speed ranking. But, there is optimism in the air, as just after Jio announced their paid plans, and stopped freebies, the average Internet speed jumped up, as they “recorded an astonishing 50% increase in their (Jio) speed (from 3.9 Mbps to 5.8 Mbps) over the course of six months, which still placed Jio at the lowest end of the speed spectrum but with a significantly narrower gap.”

The report says that 2018 would be the year when Jio raises their tariff for introducing more innovations and more high quality network performance.

The report said,

“After a year of free and steeply discounted data pricing, Jio may make 2018 the year it raises prices. That could level the playing field for India’s operators.”

The report concludes by saying that 2018 would transform India into a full-grown 4G nation, and then, things would take another course of action.

You can find OpenSignal’s observations here.

We will keep you updated.