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According to the Telecom Subscription Data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on December 31, 2025, Indian telecom operators Bharti Airtel, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Reliance Jio added wireless subscribers in November 2025, while Vodafone Idea (Vi) and state-run MTNL reported net losses.
Total wireless subscribers (including mobile and Fixed Wireless Access) stood at 1,187.48 million at the end of November 2025, up from 1,184.62 million in October. This represents a month-on-month growth of 0.24 per cent. The number of wireless mobile subscribers also increased by 0.17 per cent, rising from 1,171.87 million to 1,173.88 million over the same period.
TRAI noted that tele-density as of November 30, 2025, has been calculated using population projections from the Report of the Technical Group on Population Projections for India and States2011–2036, published in July 2020. Data for earlier months was based on projections from the same report released in November 2019.
Fixed Wireless Access subscribers: 5G and UBR
The number of wireless 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) subscribers rose from 9.91 million at the end of October 2025 to 10.41 million by the end of November. Of these, 5.32 million were in urban areas and 5.09 million in rural areas. Urban users accounted for 51.11 per cent of total 5G FWA subscribers, while rural users made up 48.89 per cent.
As of November 2025, Reliance Jio reported 7,646,142 5G FWA subscribers, reflecting a net addition of 250,274 during the month. Bharti Airtel reported 2,765,883 subscribers, adding 251,095 connections. Reliance Jio also recorded 3,187,263 Ultra Broadband Radio (UBR) FWA subscribers, a monthly increase of 351,757, representing growth of 12.41 per cent.
TRAI stated that Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited began disclosing its UBR FWA subscriber base in August 2025. By the end of November, total UBR FWA subscriptions stood at 3.19 million, including 2.26 million urban and 0.93 million rural connections. Urban subscribers accounted for 70.95 per cent of the total, while rural subscribers made up 29.05 per cent.
Wireless subscriber additions and losses
During November 2025, Reliance Jio added 1.39 million wireless subscribers, Bharti Airtel added 1.22 million, and BSNL recorded net additions of 0.42 million. In contrast, Vodafone Idea lost 1.01 million subscribers, while MTNL reported a decline of 7,530 subscribers.
TRAI noted that all licensed service areas (LSAs), except Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Assam and Haryana, recorded growth in wireless mobile subscribers during the month.
Market share of wireless subscribers
As of November 30, 2025, private access service providers accounted for 92.06 per cent of total wireless subscribers, while public sector operators BSNL and MTNL together held a market share of 7.94 per cent.
Reliance Jio led the market with a 41.41 per cent share and 486.09 million wireless subscribers, followed by Bharti Airtel with 33.64 per cent and 394.88 million subscribers. Vodafone Idea held 17.01 per cent with 199.71 million users, BSNL accounted for 7.92 per cent with 92.96 million subscribers, and MTNL held a marginal 0.02 per cent share with 0.24 million users.
In terms of wireless broadband subscribers (including mobile and fixed wireless), Reliance Jio reported 496.92 million users as of November 30, 2025, followed by Bharti Airtel with 304.21 million, Vodafone Idea with 127.74 million, and BSNL with 29.4 million.
Active wireless subscribers
On the peak Visitor Location Register (VLR) date in November 2025, 1,090.91 million of the 1,173.88 million wireless mobile subscribers were active. TRAI said active users accounted for approximately 92.93 per cent of the total wireless subscriber base.
During the month, Airtel recorded a peak VLR of 98.81 per cent, Reliance Jio 98.15 per cent, Vodafone Idea 84.59 per cent, BSNL 58.47 per cent and MTNL 144.76 per cent. TRAI clarified that VLR data forms the basis for estimating active wireless subscribers.
Overall, the November 2025 data points to a steady recovery and consolidation in India’s wireless market, led primarily by Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. The net subscriber additions, coupled with rising Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) adoption, indicate growing demand for data-centric and home broadband alternatives, particularly 5G-based services.
Jio’s strong momentum in both 5G FWA and UBR highlights its strategy of leveraging advanced networks to deepen broadband penetration, while Airtel’s gains reflect continued competitiveness in urban and premium segments. In contrast, ongoing subscriber losses for Vodafone Idea and MTNL underline persistent financial and network challenges. The high proportion of active users and the expanding role of FWA also suggest that future growth will be driven less by basic connectivity and more by quality, capacity, and integrated mobile, broadband offerings across urban and rural India.