India’s telecom sector continues to be led by Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, which added the highest number of subscribers in March 2025. TRAI data reveals a steady upward trend in total wireless and 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) connections, driven largely by rural expansion.
Jio and Airtel Capture 79 Percent of Wireless Broadband Market
Reliance Jio maintained its dominance with 465.10 million wireless broadband subscribers, while Airtel followed with 280.76 million. Together, they commanded nearly 79 percent of the entire wireless broadband segment.
Vodafone Idea held third place with 126.40 million subscribers, showing minimal change. BSNL continued to trail with 30.23 million, struggling due to its delayed 4G rollout and limited competitiveness.
Rural India Fuels Mobile Growth
Total wireless (mobile + 5G FWA) subscribers grew to 1,163.76 million in March, up from 1,160.33 million in February, registering a growth rate of 0.28 percent.
Rural areas accounted for the bulk of this growth, with 0.49 percent expansion in subscriptions compared to just 0.06 percent in urban centers. This shift highlights the untapped potential of rural connectivity in India.
5G FWA Gains Momentum
The 5G fixed wireless access user base rose from 6.27 million in February to 6.77 million in March. Of these, 4.26 million were from urban areas, while 2.51 million were rural users. Both Jio and Airtel have been aggressively marketing their FWA services, but TRAI has yet to release operator-wise figures for this segment.
MNP Requests Indicate High Churn
A total of 13.54 million mobile number portability (MNP) requests were filed in March 2025, bringing the cumulative MNP count to over 1.11 billion. The high volume of portability requests underlines the ongoing competition in the telecom market and the rising expectations of mobile users across the country.
