Broadband
Wired broadband subscriber base sees turnaround in March; ACT keeps expanding
KOLKATA: The number of broadband subscribers reached 687.44 million at the end of March with a monthly growth rate of 0.93 per cent, slower rate compared to February. While it stood at 681.11 million at the end of February, it grew at 1.15 per cent that month. Surprisingly, fixed wireless subscribers have jumped up by 2.48 per cent whereas it fell by 1.72 per cent in February. Wired subscriber base has also increased by 0.51 per cent in contrast to a negative trend in the previous month.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released the telecom subscription data as on March 2020. As per the report, the top five service providers constituted 98.99 per cent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of March. These service providers were Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (388.39 million), Bharti Airtel (148.57 million), Vodafone Idea (117.45 million), BSNL (24.50 million) and Atria Convergence (1.61 million).
As on 31 March, the top five Wired Broadband Service providers were BSNL (8.08 million), Bharti Airtel (2.47 million), Atria Convergence Technologies I.e, ACT (1.61 million), Hathway Cable & Datacom (0.97 million) and Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (0.87 million). Notably, Atria has been on an upward ride until the beginning of this year. At the end of last December, its subscriber base was at 1.52 million.
Source: TRAI
While fixed-line broadband sector was struggling to get new subscribers for the last few years, especially due to surge of high-speed low-cost data offered by telco operators, a Crisil report spoke of a spike in fixed broadband subscriptions since 25 March. While the report has predicted a huge growth, TRAI’s April data will be able to show actual numbers based on reports from operators.
As on 31 March 2020, the top five Wireless Broadband Service providers were Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd (387.52 million), Bharti Airtel (146.10 million), Vodafone Idea (117.43 million), BSNL (16.43 million) and MTNL (0.18 million).
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.
