Regulators
TRAI’s releases telecom subscription data: Reveals remarkable growth as of May 2023
Mumbai: TRAI has released telecom subscription data In the month of May 2023. 11.47 million subscribers submitted their requests for Mobile Number Portability (MNP). With this, the cumulative MNP requests increased from 830.65 million at the end of April 23 to 842.12 million at the end of May-23, since implementation of MNP. Number of active wireless subscribers (on the date of peak VLR#) in May 2023 was 1043.41 million.
Highlights of telecom subscription data as on 31 May 2023
I. Broadband subscriber
As per the information received from 1,015 operators in May 2023 in comparison to 1,011 Operator in April 2023, the total Broadband Subscribers increased from 850.94 million at the end of April-23 to 856.81 million at the end of May-23 with a monthly growth rate of 0.69 per cent. Segment-wise broadband subscribers and their monthly growth rates are as below. Top five service providers constituted 98.39 per cent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of May-23. These service providers were Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. 445.23 million, Bharti Airtel 246.61 million, Vodafone Idea 123.58 million, BSNL 25.40 million and Atria Convergence 2.15 million.
Segment–wise broadband subscribers and monthly growth rate in the month of May 2023
The graphical representation of the service provider-wise market share of broadband services is given below: –
Service provider-wise market share of broadband (wired + wireless) services as on 31 May 2023
As on 31 May 2023, the top five Wired Broadband Service providers were Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd 8.92 million, Bharti Airtel 6.40 million, BSNL 3.61 million, Atria Convergence Technologies 2.15 million and Hathway Cable & Datacom 1.12 million. As on 31 May 2023, the top five Wireless Broadband Service providers were Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd 436.31 million, Bharti Airtel 240.21 million, Vodafone Idea 123.58 million, BSNL 21.79 million and Intech Online Pvt. Ltd. 0.24 million.
II. Wireline subscribers
Wireline subscribers decreased from 29.39 million at the end of April-23 to 29.36 million at the end of May-23. Net decrease in the wireline subscriber base was 0.02 million with a monthly decline rate of 0.07 per cent. The share of urban and rural subscribers in total wireline subscribers were 92.55 per cent and 7.45 per cent respectively at the end of May, 2023. The Overall Wireline Tele-density in India decreased from 2.12 per cent at the end of April-23 to 2.11 per cent at the end of May-23. Urban and Rural Wireline Teledensity were 5.55 per cent and 0.24 per cent respectively during the same period. BSNL and MTNL, the two PSU access service providers, held 30.05 per cent of the wireline market share as on 31 May 2023.
Access service provider-wise market share of wireline subscribers as on 31 May 2023
Access service provider-wise net addition/decline in wireline subscribers during the month of May 2023
III. Wireless subscriber
Total wireless subscribers decreased from 1,143.13 million at the end of April-23, to 1,143.21 million at the end of May-23, thereby registering a monthly growth rate of 0.01 per cent. Wireless subscription in urban areas decreased from 626.74 million at the end of April-23 to 626.26 million at the end of May-23 however wireless subscription in rural areas increased from 516.39 million to 516.95 million during the same period. Monthly growth rate of urban and rural wireless subscription was 0.08 per cent and 0.11 per cent respectively.
The wireless tele-density in India decreased from 82.34 per cent at the end of April-23 to 82.29 per cent at the end of May-23. The Urban Wireless Tele-density decreased from 128.09 per cent at the end of April-23 to 127.79 per cent at the end of May-23 however Rural Tele-density increased from 57.44 per cent to 57.49 per cent during the same period. The share of urban and rural wireless subscribers in total number of wireless subscribers was 54.78 per cent and 45.22 per cent respectively at the end of May-23
As on 31 May 2023, the private access service providers held 90.93 per cent market share of the wireless subscribers whereas BSNL and MTNL, the two PSU access service providers, had a market share of only 9.07 per cent. The graphical representation of access service provider-wise market share and net additions in wireless subscriber base are given below:
Access service provider-wise market shares in term of wireless subscribers as on 31st May, 2023
Net addition in wireless subscribers of access service providers in the month of May 2023
Growth in wireless subscribers
Except U.P.(E), Kerala, Gujarat, West Bengal, Punjab, Haryana, Kolkata and Tamil Nadu, all other service areas have showed growth in their wireless subscribers during the month of May-23
Access service provider-wise monthly growth rate of wireless subscribers in the month of May 2023
Service area-wise monthly growth rate of wireless subscribers in the month of May 2023
IV. Total telephone subscribers
The number of telephone subscribers in India increased from 1,172.52 million at the end of April-23 to 1,172.57 million at the end of May-23, thereby showing a monthly growth rate of 0.004 per cent. Urban telephone subscriptions decreased from 653.88 million at the end of April-23 to 653.43 million at the end of May-23 however the rural subscription increased from 518.64 million to 519.14 million during the same period. The monthly growth rates of urban and rural telephone subscriptions were -0.07 per cent and 0.10 per cent respectively during the month of May-23.
The overall tele-density in India decreased 84.46 per cent at the end of April-23 to 84.40 per cent at the end of May-23. The urban tele-density decreased from 133.64 per cent at the end of April-23 to 133.34 per cent at the end of May-23 however Rural Tele-density increased from 57.69 per cent to 57.73 per cent during the same period. The share of urban and rural subscribers in total number of telephone subscribers at the end of May-23 was 55.73 per cent and 44.27 per cent respectively
Overall tele-density (LSA Wise) – As on 31 May 2023
Eight LSA have less tele-density than the all India average tele-density at the end of May-23. Delhi service area has maximum tele-density of 273.19 per cent and the Bihar service area has minimum tele-density of 55.61 per cent at the end of May-23.
V. Category-wise growth in subscriber base
In the wireless segment, on a monthly basis except Circle ‘A’ and Circle ‘B’, all other circles have registered growth rate in their subscriber base. On a yearly basis, except Circle ‘A’ and Circle ‘B’ other circles have registered growth rate in their subscriber base. In the Wireline segment, on a monthly basis except Circle ‘A’, all other circles have registered growth rate in their subscriber base. On a yearly basis, all circles have registered a growth rate in their subscriber base.
Circle category-wise net additions in telephone subscribers in the month of May 2023
Circle category-wise monthly and yearly growth rates in telephone subscribers in the month of May 2023
VI. Active wireless subscribers (VLR Data)
Out of the total 1,143.21 million wireless subscribers, 1043.41 million wireless subscribers were active on the date of peak VLR in the month of May-23. The proportion of active wireless subscribers was approximately 91.27 per cent of the total wireless subscriber base. Bharti Airtel has the maximum proportion 100 per cent of its active wireless subscribers (VLR) as against its total wireless subscribers (HLR) on the date of peak VLR in the month of May-23 and MTNL has the minimum proportion of VLR 25.59 per cent of its HLR during the same period.
Access service provider-wise percentage of VLR subscribers in the month of May, 2023
Service area wise percentage of VLR subscribers in the month of May, 2023
VII. Mobile Number Portability (MNP)
Intra-service area Mobile number portability (MNP) was implemented first in Haryana service area w.e.f. 25 November 2010 and in the rest of the country w.e.f. 20 January 2011. Inter-Service Area MNP has been implemented in the country w.e.f. 3 July 2015. Now, the wireless telephone subscribers can retain their mobile numbers when they relocate from one service area to another.
During the month of May-23, a total of 11.47 million requests were received for MNP. Out of total 11.47 million new requests, 4.71 million requests received from Zone-I and 6.76 million requests received from Zone-II. The cumulative MNP requests increased from 830.65 million at the end of April-23 to 842.12 million at the end of May-23, since the implementation of MNP.
In MNP Zone-I (Northern and Western India), the highest number of requests till date have been received in Uttar Pradesh-East (about 73.21 million) followed by Maharashtra (about 68.62 million) service area.
In MNP Zone-II (Southern and Eastern India), the highest number of requests till date have been received in Madhya Pradesh (about 64.36 million) followed by Karnataka (about 60.98 million).
I&B Ministry
Digital radio, D2M tech set to reshape broadcasting and public messaging
Govt pushes next-gen delivery while TRAI tightens grip on spam ecosystem
NEW DELHI: India’s broadcasting and telecom landscape is undergoing a quiet but significant upgrade, with digital radio and Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) technologies emerging as powerful tools for mass communication, while regulators step up efforts to tackle spam calls.
According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, digital radio and D2M are poised to transform how content reaches audiences by making more efficient use of spectrum. In simple terms, multiple channels can now be delivered over a single frequency, opening the door to a wider range of free-to-air content.
D2M technology takes this a step further by enabling video, audio and data to be broadcast directly to mobile handsets without relying on SIM cards or mobile data. The result is a resilient and cost-effective data pipe that can deliver everything from entertainment and education to critical emergency alerts, even in low-connectivity scenarios.
At the same time, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is tightening its grip on unsolicited commercial communication, better known as spam calls. The regulator has deployed a distributed ledger technology platform to bring transparency and accountability into the system.
Through this blockchain-based setup, consumers can register their preferences on receiving promotional messages, while businesses and telemarketers must also sign up and operate within defined rules. The platform also includes a complaint mechanism that allows users to report spam, with complaints shared across telecom operators for coordinated action.
The government’s broader push is being supported by infrastructure upgrades under the Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development scheme. Implemented through Prasar Bharati, the initiative focuses on modernising networks such as Akashvani and Doordarshan, including digitisation and adoption of next-generation broadcast equipment.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting minister of state for information and broadcasting L. Murugan said these steps are part of a larger effort to promote emerging technologies and strengthen the country’s broadcasting backbone. The response came to a query raised by member of Parliament Rao Rajendra Singh.
Together, these developments point to a dual-track strategy: expanding access to reliable, low-cost content while cleaning up the communication ecosystem. As digital pipes get smarter and spam filters sharper, India’s airwaves may soon feel a lot less noisy and far more useful.
