NEW DELHI– India’s broadband subscriber base rose to 989.58 million at the end of August, up from 984.69 million in July, reflecting a monthly growth rate of 0.5 percent, according to data released by the government on Monday.
The sharpest gains came from the fixed wireless broadband segment — which includes 5G, Wi-Fi, and Wi-Max services — surging 29.7 percent month-on-month to 11.4 million users, up from 8.79 million in July. In contrast, fixed wire access subscribers declined by 3.1 percent to 44.07 million from 45.49 million the previous month.
Mobile wireless access, which remains the dominant category, saw modest growth, increasing to 934.11 million users from 930.41 million in July.
Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. retained its leadership position among broadband (wired and wireless combined) providers with 501.31 million subscribers. It was followed by Bharti Airtel with 309.22 million, Vodafone Idea with 127.48 million, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) with 34.31 million, and Atria Convergence Technologies (ACT) with 2.35 million.
The growth in broadband users continues to drive India’s internet expansion. As of June 30, 2025, India surpassed the one-billion mark for total internet users, up 3.48 percent from March to reach 1.003 billion, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
Of these users, 44.7 million had wired internet connections, while 958.1 million accessed the internet wirelessly. The report also noted that India’s overall tele-density climbed to 86.09 percent, compared to 85.04 percent in the previous quarter.
TRAI data further revealed a strong urban-rural divide in internet adoption, with approximately 579.4 million users in urban areas and 423.3 million in rural regions — highlighting continued growth potential in India’s hinterland. (Source: IANS)
