India’s telecom sector recorded steady growth in May 2025, adding 3.24 million new telephone subscribers and bringing the total to 1,207.08 million. This included 1.99 million additional wireless users, pushing the wireless base to 1,168.42 million, and 1.25 million new wireline connections, which rose to 38.66 million. Wireline growth outpaced wireless on a percentage basis, with a 3.34% monthly increase compared to 0.17% for wireless.
The broadband subscriber base surged to 974.87 million, up from 943.09 million in April, marking a 3.37% monthly rise. Mobile broadband remained the largest segment with 922.99 million users, followed by fixed wired broadband at 44.09 million and fixed wireless broadband, including 5G FWA, which jumped 60% to 7.79 million. The significant uptick in reported broadband numbers stems partly from updated and complete data submissions by operators such as Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel.
Reliance Jio maintained its dominance across categories, holding 50.72% of broadband subscriptions with 494.47 million users. Bharti Airtel followed with 302.15 million, and Vodafone Idea held 126.68 million. Combined, the top five service providers accounted for 98.47% of all broadband subscriptions. Urban areas continued to command a higher share of telecom users, accounting for 55.48% of total subscriptions, with an urban tele-density of 131.76% compared to the rural figure of 59.33%.
The wireline segment saw notable progress, particularly in rural regions, where subscriptions rose 10.44% in a single month. However, 89.97% of all wireline users remained in urban India. Private companies led the wireline market with a 73.82% share, while public sector units such as BSNL, MTNL and APSFL collectively held 26.18%.
In the wireless segment, 93.03% of subscribers were reported as active during the peak VLR measurement, totaling 1,080.06 million. Reliance Communications and Bharti Airtel posted the highest active user rates, while BSNL lagged at 63.73%. Mobile number portability remained a crucial feature, with 14.03 million requests submitted in May.
5G fixed wireless access subscriptions declined slightly to 7.40 million, down from 7.50 million in April. This decline came largely from a dip in rural subscribers, although urban areas continued to account for over 60% of 5G FWA connections.
Machine-to-machine cellular connections continued to expand, reaching 73.91 million, with Bharti Airtel commanding a 54.31% market share. This segment underscores the growing integration of IoT applications across industries.
Circle-wise data indicated monthly wireless growth across nearly all regions except the Metro category, which saw a marginal decline. On a yearly basis, only Circle C, comprising smaller states and union territories, recorded a net gain in wireless subscribers.
Overall tele-density improved modestly to 85.36%, with eight states falling below the national average. Delhi led with a tele-density of 274.29%, while Bihar remained at the bottom with 57.57%. The data reflects steady progress in connectivity but also underscores the challenges of rural penetration and regional imbalances.
