Broadband
Delivering broadband and video tech; ARRIS opens R&D Centre in Bengaluru
SINGAPORE: ARRIS International plc (NASDAQ: ARRS) today opened its largest Research and Development (R&D) and operations center outside of the US – in Ulsoor, Bengaluru. The state-of-the-art facility hosts a combination of world-class engineers from two former ARRIS and Pace sites following ARRIS’s January 2016 acquisition of Pace. The center promotes collaboration and the efficient development of advanced broadband and video solutions for the next generation of services – including Gigabit broadband, 4K TV, and Wi-Fi.
The new, multi-million dollar Bengaluru center represents a strategic investment in high-value IP creation. With cutting-edge lab infrastructure, advanced test facilities, and 24*7 support for installation activities at customer premises globally, the center provides leading design, development, and quality assurance programs across the vast majority of ARRIS global solutions.
“Our world-class Bengaluru facility is at the center of ARRIS’s global initiative to innovate and scale the technology that will transform how people around the world watch video and connect to the Internet,” said Bob Stanzione, Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Directors. “This center unites two premier groups of engineers and empowers them with the resources to deliver the next era of innovation for our customers worldwide.”
Kiran Gadi, Country Head and VP, Engineering, ARRIS India, added: “The Bengaluru R&D center represents ARRIS’s commitment to the region, to collaboration across our talented engineering teams, and to our global customers. Together, we’re positioning ARRIS and its customers for the next stage of growth.”
Broadband
Airtel and Jio surge ahead as Vodafone Idea and BSNL lose subscribers in December
India’s mobile base rises in December, but gains skewed towards the top two operators
NEW DELHI: India’s telecom market ended 2025 with a familiar split: the leaders sprinting ahead, the laggards slipping further. Fresh data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) show Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio adding millions of wireless users in December, while Vodafone Idea and state-run BSNL continued to bleed subscribers.
India’s overall telephone subscriber base, wireless and wireline, climbed to 1.306 billion in December 2025, a monthly rise of 0.66 per cent. Growth was driven largely by wireless, which accounted for the bulk of new additions.
Bharti Airtel added 5.42 million wireless subscribers during the month, the biggest net gain among operators. Reliance Jio followed with roughly 2.96 million additions. Their gains were spread across multiple licensed service areas, underscoring broad-based momentum.
The story was starkly different for their rivals. Vodafone Idea recorded a net loss of about 9.4 lakh wireless subscribers, extending a run of monthly erosion. BSNL also saw its base shrink by around 2.06 lakh users. Despite marginal gains in a few circles, the PSU’s overall wireless base continued to contract.
Taken together, net wireless (mobile) additions across operators stood at 7.23 million in December.
Wireless subscribers, including mobile and fixed wireless access (FWA), rose to 1.258 billion, a net monthly increase of 8.21 million. Wireless tele-density improved to 88.41 per cent, though the urban–rural divide remained wide: urban tele-density at 140.66 per cent versus 59.07 per cent in rural areas.
The wireline segment posted modest growth. Subscribers increased from 47.05 million in November to 47.37 million in December, a 0.68 per cent monthly rise. Urban areas continued to dominate, while rural wireline tele-density stayed low.
Broadband crossed a symbolic milestone, with total subscribers topping one billion to reach 1,007.35 million by December-end. Mobile wireless broadband remained the primary access mode. In fixed wireless access, 5G FWA subscribers grew 5.59 per cent month on month, signalling gradual uptake of next-generation services.
Yet churn remains high. TRAI noted that about 16.12 million subscribers submitted mobile number portability requests in December alone.
The scoreboard is clear: scale is breeding more scale at the top, while smaller players struggle to hold ground. In India’s brutally competitive telecom arena, December’s numbers show a market that is still growing, but not evenly—and momentum, for now, sits firmly with the frontrunners.
