5G future: Another turning point for telecom

The launch of 5G could well change the trend of low average revenue per user for the industry

This Diwali will mean a shift to a new telecom age and the countdown has begun. The shift will not only bring about galloping internet speed on the mobile phone as 5G is rolled out, but it could also usher in a multiplier effect on the average revenue per user (ARPU) — a metric that captures the health of a telecom firm and that of the telecom sector. The ARPU per month in India has been among the lowest in the world and telcos have gone on and on about the need to up that low three-digit number to unlock