Indian telecom service providers Bharti Airtel (Airtel), Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), and Reliance Jio gained wireless subscribers in October 2025, while Vodafone Idea (Vi) and state-run telco MTNL lost wireless subscribers during the month, according to TRAI's Telecom Subscription Data as of October 31, 2025, released on November 28, 2025. The data shows that the total wireless (mobile) subscribers increased from 1170.44 million at the end of September 2025 to 1171.87 million at the end of October 2025 thereby registering a monthly growth rate of 0.12 percent. Likewise, the total wireless (mobile and fixed wireless access) subscribers increased from 1182.32 million at the end of September 2025 to 1,184.62 million at the end of October 2025, thereby registering a monthly growth rate of 0.19 percent.
FWA Subscribers — 5G and UBR Breakdown
Total wireless (5G FWA) subscribers increased from 9.40 million at the end of September 2025 to 9.91 million at the end of October 2025 with subscriptions in urban and rural areas of 5.81 million and 4.10 million, respectively. The shares of urban and rural wireless (5G FWA) subscribers in total wireless (5G FWA) subscribers were 58.66 percent and 41.34 percent, respectively at the end of October 2025.
As of October 2025, Bharti Airtel reported a 5G FWA subscriber base of 2,514,788 (an addition of 195,312), while Reliance Jio reported 7,395,868 (an addition of 312,546) 5G FWA users, bringing the total to 9,910,656. Reliance Jio reported 2,835,506 Fixed Wireless (UBR) subscribers during the month, an addition of 354,755.
Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited began reporting the number of UBR FWA subscribers from August 2025, according to the report. UBR FWA subscription stood at 2.84 million at the end of October 2025, with 2.01 million urban and 0.82 million rural subscribers. Urban and rural shares of total UBR FWA subscribers were 71.10 percent and 28.90 percent, respectively, as of October 2025.
Gain and Loss of Wireless Subscribers
Bharti Airtel added 1,252,874 (1.25 million) wireless subscribers, BSNL added 269,215 (0.26 million) subscribers, and Reliance Jio added 1,997,843 (1.99 million) subscribers. Meanwhile, Vodafone Idea lost 2,083,618 (2.08 million) wireless subscribers during the same period, and public sector unit (PSU) MTNL lost 2,229 wireless subscribers.
Except Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, West Bengal, Mumbai, Kolkata, UP (W), Gujarat and Delhi, all other LSAs have shown growth in their wireless (Mobile) subscribers during the month of October 2025, according to the report.
Wireless Market Share of Operators
As of October 31, 2025, private access service providers held a 92.08 percent market share of total wireless (mobile) subscribers, while BSNL and MTNL, the two PSU access service providers, together held a 7.92 percent share.
This translates to Reliance Jio holding a 41.36 percent market share with 484.70 million wireless subscribers, Bharti Airtel with 33.59 percent market share and 393.66 million wireless subscribers, Vodafone Idea with 17.13 percent market share and 200.72 million wireless subscribers, BSNL with 7.90 percent market share and 92.54 million wireless subscribers, and MTNL with a 0.02 percent market share and 0.24 million wireless subscribers.
Wireless Broadband Subscribers
Reliance Jio reported 494.93 million wireless broadband (fixed wireless and mobile) subscribers, followed by Bharti Airtel with 302.62 million, Vodafone Idea with 127.22 million, and BSNL with 29.96 million subscribers, as on October 31, 2025.
Wireline Telephone Subscriber Base
Wireline subscribers increased from 46.61 million at the end of September 2025 to 46.75 million at the end of October 2025. The net increase in the wireline subscriber base was 0.14 million with a monthly growth rate of 0.14 percent.
In the wireline segment:
- Reliance Jio held a 30.75 percent market share with 14,376,404 subscribers, adding 212,607 during the month.
- Bharti Airtel held a 22.86 percent share with 10,685,781 subscribers, adding 23,691 during the month.
- Vodafone Idea held a 1.74 percent share with 813,837 subscribers, adding 32,855 during the month.
- BSNL held a 16.09 percent share with 7,522,811 subscribers, losing 6,850 during the month.
M2M Cellular Connections
According to the report, the number of M2M (Machine-to-Machine) cellular mobile connections increased from 94.57 million at the end of September 2025 to 98.87 million at the end of October 2025.
- Bharti Airtel: 59.59 million connections (60.28 percent market share)
- Vodafone Idea: 17.82 million connections (18.02 percent market share)
- Reliance Jio: 17.82 million connections (18.02 percent market share)
- BSNL: 3.63 million connections (3.68 percent market share)
Active Wireless Subscribers
Out of the total 1171.87 million wireless (mobile) subscribers, 1094.28 million wireless (mobile) subscribers were active on the date of peak VLR in the month of October 2025. The proportion of active wireless (mobile) subscribers was approximately 93.38 percent of the total wireless (mobile) subscriber base, according to TRAI. Airtel reported a peak VLR of 99.55 percent during the month, BSNL 59.45 percent, Vodafone Idea (Vi) 85.25 percent, MTNL 152.42 percent, and Reliance Jio 98.18 percent. Active wireless subscribers are based on VLR data.
Also in TRAI Subscriber 2025 Series:
Sep 2025: Airtel, BSNL, Jio Gain Wireless Users in September 2025; Vodafone Idea Loses Subscribers
Aug 2025: Airtel, BSNL, Jio Gain Wireless Users in August 2025; Vodafone Idea Loses Subscribers
Jul 2025: Airtel, Jio Add Wireless Subscribers in July 2025, While Vodafone Idea and BSNL Lose
Jun 2025: Airtel, Jio Add Wireless Subscribers in June 2025, While Vodafone Idea and BSNL Lose
