Recent data from the Ministry of Communications reveals significant trends in India’s telecom landscape as of December 31, 2024. The report highlights growth across various segments, with both wireless and wireline services showing notable increases.
Broadband Subscribers Surge India’s total broadband subscriber base, encompassing both wired and wireless connections, saw a slight increase from 944.76 million in November 2024 to 944.96 million by the end of December 2024. The monthly growth rate stood at 0.02%. Among broadband service providers, Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd leads with 476.58 million subscribers, followed by Bharti Airtel Ltd. with 289.31 million.
Urban and Rural Telephone Dynamics Urban areas accounted for 627.08 million wireless subscribers and 36.29 million wireline subscribers, totaling 663.37 million. Meanwhile, rural areas recorded 523.58 million wireless subscribers and 2.98 million wireline subscribers, totaling 526.56 million. The net addition of telephone subscribers in urban areas was 3.50 million, with a growth rate of 0.53%, while rural areas experienced a slight decline, reflecting a 0.14% decrease.
Overall Tele-density Climbs India’s overall tele-density reached 84.45%, with urban tele-density hitting 131.50% and rural tele-density at 58.22%. The share of urban subscribers in the total subscriber base was 55.75%, while rural subscribers accounted for 44.25%.
Mobile Number Portability Requests Soar In December 2024, a staggering 13.85 million mobile number portability (MNP) requests were submitted, bringing the cumulative MNP requests to 1,079.19 million since the implementation of MNP.
Wireline Subscribers Increase The wireline subscriber base grew from 38.50 million in November 2024 to 39.27 million in December 2024, registering a monthly growth rate of 1.99%. Urban areas dominated the wireline market with a 92.42% share, while rural areas held 7.58%.
Wireless Subscriber Trends The total number of wireless subscribers rose from 1,148.65 million in November 2024 to 1,150.66 million in December 2024, marking a growth rate of 0.17%. Despite an increase in urban wireless subscriptions, rural subscriptions saw a slight decline.
Top Service Providers Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. continues to dominate both wired and wireless broadband markets. In the wired segment, it leads with 11.48 million subscribers, while in the wireless segment, it boasts 465.10 million subscribers.
Market Share Dynamics The top five broadband service providers account for a significant market share, with Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. holding 50.43% of the market. Bharti Airtel Ltd. follows with 30.62%.
This detailed data underscores the dynamic nature of India’s telecom sector, reflecting steady growth in urban markets while highlighting areas for improvement in rural connectivity. The emphasis on broadband expansion and the rising number of MNP requests signal ongoing shifts and consumer demands in the industry.
