Indiaβs Broadband Base Nears 1 Billion Mark Amidst Strong Rural Subscription Growth
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure | SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
Institutions: Ministry of Communications | Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
The Indian telecom sector reported a total subscriber base of 1,231.38 million as of October 31, 2025, with a net increase of 2.44 million users during the month. More accurately reflecting usage, the Active Wireless Subscriber Base (VLR) stood at 1,094.28 million, indicating a high utilization rate. The total number of Broadband Subscribers reached 999.81 million, showing a monthly growth rate of 0.42% and inching closer to the one-billion subscriber milestone. This growth was robust in the rural segment, which added 1.94 million total telephone subscribers, reflecting a higher monthly growth rate of 0.36% compared to the urban growth rate of 0.07%. The overall Tele-density now stands at 86.76%.
The VLR (Visitor Location Register) is a measure used to track the number of genuinely active mobile connections on a network at a specific time, ensuring only currently active users are counted, rather than total inactive accounts.
The market remains dominated by a few players, with the top five service providers controlling a significant 98.50% of the entire wired and wireless broadband market share. While rural Tele-density increased to 59.72%, it lags significantly behind the urban Tele-density of 134.66%, highlighting a persistent divide. Wireline connections also saw a net increase of 0.14 million, showing continued demand for fixed access.
Policy Relevance: The disparity between the high concentration of market share among top operators and the significant gap between urban and rural tele-density poses a challenge. The continued reliance on these top providers to drive rural inclusion makes the sector vulnerable, necessitating strategic policy interventions to foster infrastructure diversification and enhance fair market competition to achieve equitable universal access.
Follow the full news here: Telecom Subscription Data as on 31st October 2025