Indians Had 5% Lesser Phones From 2018 To 2021

Latest data has emerged from RBI and Department of Telecommunications which shows that mobile phone ownership among Indians is declining.

Contrary to the rhetoric of “digital India” which claimed that Indians are getting more interconnected with cheap data and devices, there has been a decline of more than 5% in overall telephones per 100, with some states like Tamil Nadu showing a reduction of more than 28%.

This implies that the incomes of Indians are taking a hit and they do not feel financially secure enough to acquire or keep their moviel devices, which are fast moving to an aspirational “luxury” to a common necessity that impacts all areas from education, banking and personal finance, connectivity, employment, and more. This trend of declining phones is bound to increase the #DigitalDivide in terms of learning outcomes since education has shifted significantly to remote and online modes as part of the post-pandemic “new normal”.

Rate Of Decline Per State

Tamil Nadu and Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir saw the largest declines in mobile phones. J&K has also been frequently hit by suspension of internet, mobile phone services and downgrading of services from 3G to 2G at a time when the world has progressed to 5G. The chart below shows the rate of decline in the top 6 states.

Tamil Nadu showed a 20.6% decline, followed by Jammu and Kashmir (18.4%), and 17.2% for the “North East” states (excluding Assam, which showed a reduction of 15.2%) from 2018 to 2021.

India's Mobile Phone Market And Usage: 

The following video shows that the Indian smartphone market and internet user base is substantial and projected to grow at a significant rate as well, which puts a further spotlight on the recent data which shows that telephones per 10 have reduced between 2018 to 2021.