India’s telecom sector witnessed modest overall growth in May 2025, driven primarily by Reliance Jio, which added 2.7 million new subscribers, according to the latest data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The total mobile subscriber base in the country rose by 1.66 million, reaching 1.168 billion, with urban markets leading the growth trajectory.
📈 Operator-wise Subscriber Trends (May 2025)
- Reliance Jio continued its leadership in net additions with 2.7 million new users, pushing its total subscriber base to 475.11 million (up from 472.41 million in April).
- Bharti Airtel, India’s second-largest telecom operator, added 275,621 users, an improvement from April’s 170,658 additions, bringing its base to 390.25 million.
- Vodafone Idea (Vi) showed signs of stabilisation, with a net subscriber loss of 274,103, significantly lower than April’s 647,650 churn. Vi’s total subscriber base now stands at 204.44 million.
- BSNL lost 135,654 subscribers, a slowdown from 155,000 in April. Its base now stands at 90.77 million.
🌐 Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and Broadband Performance
- Airtel added 182,458 Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) customers in May, increasing its FWA base to 1.54 million (April: 1.36 million).
- Jio, however, saw a decline of 286,331 FWA subscribers due to a reclassification of customers from FWA to FTTH (Fiber to the Home). Jio’s FWA base now stands at 5.85 million, down from 6.14 million.
- The total FWA user base in India is now 7.4 million, with Jio remaining the only telco with rural FWA presence.
Fixed broadband subscriptions grew 6.46% month-on-month, reaching 44.09 million in May (April: 41.41 million), showcasing rising demand for home internet services.
📊 Market Share and Active Subscriber Insights
- Jio’s market share rose to 40.92%, up from 40.76% in April.
- Airtel’s share declined for the second straight month, slipping to 33.61% (April: 33.65%).
- Vodafone Idea continued to lose ground with market share falling to 17.61% (April: 17.66%).
- BSNL’s market share dipped slightly to 7.82%, down from 7.84%.
Active subscribers, who are the most valuable for operators, accounted for 93.03% of total wireless subscribers in May, a rise from 92.56% in April.
- Jio’s active user base grew by 5.38 million, reaching 462.04 million.
- Airtel saw a decline of 3.13 million, bringing its active base to 386.84 million.
- Vodafone Idea’s active users fell by 1.34 million to 172.87 million.
🔄 Mobile Number Portability (MNP) Activity
- A total of 14.03 million MNP requests were submitted in May, bringing the cumulative count to 1,146.45 million, up from 1,132.41 million at the end of April.
- This reflects continued user dissatisfaction or shifting brand preferences, particularly in urban regions.
📝 Key Takeaways:
- Reliance Jio is maintaining a dominant lead in subscriber growth and active users.
- Airtel shows steady but slower growth.
- Vodafone Idea’s declining trend continues, albeit at a slower rate.
- BSNL faces persistent user attrition despite reduced losses.
- Rising broadband and FWA demand highlight growing internet penetration.
- MNP volume underscores fierce competition and shifting user loyalty.
