New Delhi: Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea continued their dominance in India’s telecom sector in April 2025, as the country’s total telephone subscriber base grew to 1.203 billion, according to data released by the Ministry of Communications.
Meanwhile, government data showed that after 17 years, the state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has successfully achieved back-to-back quarterly profits.
According to the data, a net addition of 3.05 million subscribers across wireless and wireline segments in April, pushing the overall tele-density to 85.19 per cent, with rural areas contributing more significantly than urban regions to the growth. Rural subscriptions rose by 1.96 million, compared to 1.08 million from urban areas.
Jio and Airtel Continue to Dominate Broadband and Wireless Segments
As of April this year, Reliance Jio remains the largest broadband provider with 476.58 million subscribers, followed by Bharti Airtel at 289.31 million, and Vodafone Idea with 125.63 million. Together, these top three hold a commanding share of the broadband market, which stood at 943.09 million subscribers in total.
The government data notes a minor overall dip in broadband subscriptions from March this year, with a -0.11 per cent decline, mainly attributed to a drop in mobile broadband connections. However, wired broadband saw a small rise, with fixed-line subscribers increasing to 41.41 million.
In the wireless broadband category, Reliance Jio led again with 465.10 million subscribers, followed by Airtel at 280.76 million, and Vi at 125.63 million. Meanwhile, BSNL followed with 29.94 million as on 30 April.
Mobile Portability Requests Remain High
India’s highly competitive telecom environment was evident in the continued churn, with 13.48 million Mobile Number Portability (MNP) requests registered in April.
Uttar Pradesh (East), Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh saw the highest cumulative number of porting requests.
Active Users, Wireline Growth and 5G Expansion
Out of 1.158 billion wireless users, 1.072 billion were active, amounting to a 92.56 per cent activity rate. Reliance Communications reported 100% active users on its Visitor Location Register (VLR), while MTNL lagged at 47.27 per cent.
Wireline services also showed strong growth, adding 0.37 million new users to reach 37.41 million subscribers, a one per cent monthly rise. Public sector units BSNL, MTNL, and APSFL held a combined 27.40% share in the wireline market.
5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) continued its steady growth, with subscribers increasing from 6.77 million to 7.50 million. Urban areas accounted for 63 per cent of the total 5G FWA user base.
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M2M Connections and Market Shares
Machine-to-Machine (M2M) connections also saw significant traction, growing to 69.87 million by April-end. Bharti Airtel led with a 53.35 per cent share (37.28 million), followed by Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio.
Private operators continued to dominate, holding over 92 per cent of the wireless subscriber market, leaving public sector providers like BSNL and MTNL with less than 8 per cent.
However, it is worth mentioning that BSNL has reported consecutive quarterly net profits for the first time in 17 years, Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced. The telecom PSU recorded a net profit of Rs 280 crore in Q4 FY25, following Rs 261 crore in Q3.
Annual losses have dropped by 58 per cent to Rs 2,247 crore from Rs 5,370 crore the previous year. BSNL also reported a record Rs 5,396 crore EBITDA, with 27 telecom circles EBITDA-positive and 10 posting net profit.
Revenue rose to Rs 20,841 crore, aided by growth in FTTH, mobility, and leased lines, along with a 77 per cent surge in asset monetisation. Capital investment touched an all-time high of Rs 26,022 crore, focusing on 4G and fibre rollout.
Urban-Rural Trends and Tele-density
Urban subscribers comprised 55.42 per cent of the total user base, while rural subscribers made up 44.58 per cent. Rural tele-density rose to 59.26 per cent, slightly narrowing the digital divide, though urban tele-density still stands much higher at 131.46 per cent.
The Delhi service area recorded the highest tele-density at 276.75 per cent, whereas Bihar remained the lowest at 57.37 per cent.
