New Delhi— India’s total broadband subscriber base grew slightly to 945.16 million in January, up from 944.96 million in December, reflecting a modest monthly growth rate of 0.04 percent, according to government data released on Monday.
The broadband category includes both wired and wireless users, with the bulk of the growth attributed to mobile broadband connections. Mobile broadband users increased marginally from 898.57 million to 899.04 million during the month.
The top five broadband providers (including both wired and wireless) continued to dominate the market, holding a combined 98.43 percent market share. Bharti Airtel led the pack with 289.31 million subscribers, followed by Jio. Vodafone Idea ranked third with 126.41 million subscribers, while BSNL and Atria Convergence Technologies rounded out the top five with 35.77 million and 2.28 million subscribers, respectively.
In the wired broadband segment, Airtel led with 8.55 million users. BSNL followed with 4.26 million, while Atria and Kerala Vision Broadband reported 2.28 million and 1.28 million users, respectively. Together, these five providers accounted for 67.67 percent of the fixed broadband market.
Wireless broadband saw a slight increase, with mobile subscriptions rising by 0.05 percent to 899.04 million. Fixed wireless broadband users stood at 4.98 million for the month.
The report also noted a reclassification of 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) subscribers. Previously counted under wireline, FWA users are now included in the wireless category. As a result, total wireless subscribers increased from 1.150 billion in December to 1.157 billion in January — a 0.55 percent rise.
Meanwhile, mobile number portability (MNP) requests remained strong. In January, 14.14 million users opted to switch carriers while retaining their numbers, bringing the total number of MNP requests since inception to 1.093 billion.
Overall, India’s telecom sector maintained a stable trajectory, with steady growth in broadband and wireless connectivity. Urban areas continued to lead in tele-density and network penetration, reinforcing their role as the primary drivers of digital adoption. (Source: IANS)
