Broadband
Plan panel puts rural thrust in broadband plan
NEW DELHI: Allow full triple play to all rural broadband service provider; throw in some tax sops and ensure development of appropriate content in regional languages.
These are some of the ingredients that a Planning Commission committee, studying the development and expansion of information and communication technology (ICT), would like to have in the recipe for a nationwide rollout of broadband services in the country. Especially with a focus on the rural market.
“To effect the (nationwide) rollout, we need to light up the optical fibre and ensure development of the last mile connectivity,” a Planning Commission panel in a draft report on communications, including ICT connectivity, has observed.
Planning Commission is a government think-tank on economic policies and had set up the ICT panel last year with a view to build a modern and efficient telecommunication infrastructure to meet the convergence of telecom, IT and the media.
According to the draft note — a copy of which is available with indiantelevision.com — circulated amongst members and some other government organisation, for a cost-effective and quick broadband rollout “wireless technology seems to be more suited.”
The plan panel draft paper also suggests that appropriate spectrum should be delicenced, including the 5.15-5.35 Ghz for Wi-fi and Wi max technology.
Amongst other measures being discussed by Planning Commission as part of its mid-term review of the 10th Five-Year Plan of the telecom ICT sector, which focuses more on rural spread out, following initiatives have been highlighted: As existing service providers may not be interested in rural areas, the future model for operations may have to be based on the one suggested in the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), which includes niche players being either franchisees of the incumbent (state-controlled Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. being the dominant player) or independent operators registered with the government.
Providing necessary support from the Universal Service Obligation (USO) fund if needed for sharing part of the capital cost and bearing costs of bandwidth for the initial five years period. Providing matching funds for USO Fund to rural youth to set up broadband kiosk along with arranging concessional funds from banks. Using post offices as retail outlets for broadband kiosks/service delivery points keeping in view the countrywide reach of the Indian postal network. To attract operators, the entry and service conditions have to be promotional. The need for finalizing a legal, institutional and regulatory modalities of opening up of broadband services in rural areas quickly has been emphasized upon too.
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.
