Airtel adds 5.43 million users; leads in 11 circles

In December 2025, Bharti Airtel recorded the highest net addition of wireless subscribers among Indian telecom operators, adding 5.43 million users (5,428,314). Reliance Jio added 2,960,588 subscribers during the month. In contrast, Vodafone Idea (Vi) lost 940,731 subscribers, while BSNL and MTNL together reported a combined decline of 209,384 users.

The figures are based on TRAI’s Telecom Subscription Data as of 31 December 2025, released on 10 February 2026.

Beyond the monthly additions and losses, the data also reflects a shift in circle-level market leadership. Following the latest updates and reporting revisions, Airtel has moved into the leading position in the Bihar circle as well as in the metro circles of Delhi and Mumbai.

Changes in Circle Leadership

Airtel now leads in 11 circles (an increase of three): Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Mumbai, the North East, Punjab and Tamil Nadu.

Reliance Jio leads in 10 circles: Gujarat, Haryana, Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra & Goa, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh East, Uttar Pradesh West and West Bengal.

Kerala remains the only circle led by Vodafone Idea. In the state, Vi has 12,738,397 wireless subscribers, compared with 11,027,624 for Jio and 9,490,134 for Airtel.

Overall Wireless Market Share

At the end of December 2025, Reliance Jio had a total wireless subscriber base of 489.05 million, representing a 39.31 per cent market share, following the addition of 2.96 million users during the month.

Bharti Airtel’s total stood at 463.38 million subscribers, with a 37.24 per cent market share, after adding 5.43 million users.

Vodafone Idea had 198.77 million subscribers, accounting for 15.98 per cent of the market, after a monthly decline of 0.94 million users.

BSNL’s subscriber base stood at 92.76 million (7.46 per cent market share), while MTNL had 0.23 million subscribers (0.02 per cent).

5G FWA Subscription Data – December 2025

In the fixed wireless access (FWA) segment, Bharti Airtel added 305,933 5G FWA subscribers, taking its total to 3.072 million.

Reliance Jio added 275,746 5G FWA subscribers, bringing its total to 7.922 million. In addition, Jio added 392,143 users in the UBR FWA category, taking that total to 3.579 million.