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India’s telecom sector recorded steady growth in December 2025, with rising wireless, FWA, and M2M connections, improved tele-density, strong urban demand, and gradual rural expansion, highlighting continued digital penetration and competitive market dynamics.
Private telecom companies dominate with 92.53% market share.
New Delhi: India’s wireless subscriber base continued its upward trend in December 2025, reflecting sustained demand for mobile and fixed wireless services.
The total number of wireless subscribers (mobile plus Fixed Wireless Access) increased from 1,250.56 million in November 2025 to 1,258.77 million by the end of December 2025, registering a monthly growth rate of 0.66%. This growth highlights the steady expansion of digital connectivity across the country.
Urban wireless subscriptions rose significantly from 713.29 million to 720.15 million, showing a strong monthly growth of 0.96%. Rural areas also witnessed an increase, with subscriptions rising from 537.26 million to 538.62 million, though at a slower growth rate of 0.25%. By the end of December, urban users accounted for 57.21% of total wireless subscribers, while rural users made up 42.79%.
Wireless tele-density in India improved from 87.90% in November to 88.41% in December 2025, indicating broader access to wireless services. Urban wireless tele-density increased from 139.53% to 140.66%, showing multiple connections per person in cities.
Rural tele-density also improved marginally from 58.94% to 59.07%, pointing to gradual digital inclusion in rural India. These figures include Machine-to-Machine (M2M) cellular connections, which are becoming increasingly important.
The number of wireless mobile subscribers grew from 1,236.96 million in November to 1,244.20 million in December 2025, reflecting a monthly growth of 0.59%.
Urban mobile subscriptions rose by over 7 million, while rural mobile subscriptions saw only a marginal increase. Urban mobile tele-density climbed to 139.08%, whereas rural mobile tele-density slightly declined to 58.36%.
Private telecom operators dominated the market with a 92.53% share, while public sector operators BSNL and MTNL together held 7.47%.
Fixed Wireless Access services recorded notable growth during the month. 5G-based FWA subscribers increased from 10.41 million to 10.99 million, with nearly equal participation from urban and rural areas.
Additionally, Unlicensed Band Radio (UBR) FWA subscriptions reached 3.58 million by the end of December, with a stronger presence in urban regions. This highlights the growing role of FWA in providing broadband-like connectivity without traditional wired infrastructure.
M2M cellular connections saw a sharp rise from 103.48 million to 109.19 million in December 2025. Bharti Airtel led this segment with over 61% market share, followed by Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea, and BSNL. Meanwhile, India’s total telephone subscriber base grew to 1,306.14 million, pushing overall tele-density up to 91.74%.
Out of the total wireless mobile subscribers, nearly 93.47% were active users, indicating healthy network usage. Mobile Number Portability (MNP) remained strong, with over 16.12 million porting requests filed during December 2025, showing continued competition among telecom operators and greater consumer choice.
