Broadband
Wired broadband subscribers up 1.72 per cent
MUMBAI: Although the wired internet subscriber base still represents a small portion of overall internet users in India, the sector is showing continuous growth in last three months. The total wired broadband subscriber base reached 20.47 million in August, up by 1.72 per cent compared to July.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released the telecom subscription data as on 31 August 2020. As per the report, the top five Wired Broadband Service providers were BSNL (7.85 million), Bharti Airtel (2.53 million), Atria Convergence Technologies (1.70 million), Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (1.25 million) and Hathway Cable and Datacom (1.03 million). Other than the state-run BSNL, all other players were able to add new subscribers to its existing base.
Shaking off the Covid2019 effect on the telecom sector, the total number of broadband subscribers reached 716.19 million at the end of August with an overall growth of 1.53 per cent. In July, the report showed broadband subscribers at 705.40 million.
The top five service providers constituted 98.89 per cent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of August. These service providers were Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (403.92 million), Bharti Airtel (158.98 million), Vodafone Idea (119.91 million), BSNL (23.75 million) and Atria Convergence (1.70 million).
Overall broadband (wired+wireless) subscriber base was led by Jio with a 56.40 per cent share, followed by 22.20 per cent for Bharti Airtel, and 16.74 per cent for Vodafone Idea.
As on 31st August, the top five wireless broadband Service providers were Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd (402.67 million), Bharti Airtel (156.45 million), Vodafone Idea (119.91 million), BSNL (15.90 million) and Tikona Infinet Ltd. (0.31 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.
