India’s telecom sector witnessed sustained growth with the addition of a net 7.23 million wireless (mobile) subscribers in December 2025, according to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data. Total telephone subscribers (wireless + wireline) reached 1.306 billion, up 0.66% MoM.

Wireless subscribers increased to 1.258 billion (net +8.21 million), taking wireless tele-density to 88.41% (urban 140.66%, rural 59.07%). Reliance Jio added ~2.96 million users, while Bharti Airtel led the way by adding ~5.42 million users across all circles.

Vodafone Idea (Vi) lost ~9.4 lakh subscribers, continuing its declining trend. Despite slight gains in some pockets, state-owned BSNL declined by ~2.06 lakh.

Wireline subscribers increased slightly to 47.37 million (+0.32 million, +0.68% MoM), mostly in cities.

Broadband crossed the 1 billion mark, reaching 1,007.35 million (+3.7 million, +0.37% MoM), dominated by mobile wireless broadband. Fixed wireless access (including 5G FWA) grew MoM by 5.59%, indicating next generation demand.

Market volatility remained high with ~16.12 million mobile number portability requests in December.

This uneven lead reflects Jio and Airtel’s dominance in network expansion and 5G rollout, while Vi and BSNL are facing subscriber challenges amid competition and financial pressures.