Indian telecom service providers Bharti Airtel (Airtel), BSNL and Reliance Jio gained wireless subscribers in March 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 March 31, 2025. The data shows that the total number of wireless (Mobile) subscribers increased from 1,154.05 million at the end of February 2025 to 1,156.99 million at the end of March 2025, thereby registering a monthly growth rate of 0.25 percent. Likewise, the total wireless subscribers (mobile and 5G-FWA) increased from 1,160.33 million at the end of February 2025 to 1,163.76 million at the end of March 2025, thereby registering a monthly growth rate of 0.28 percent.
Also Read: Airtel and Jio Lead Wireless Subscriber Growth in February 2025, Vodafone Idea and BSNL See Decline
5G FWA Subscribers
Total wireless 5G FWA subscribers increased from 6.27 million at the end of February 2025 to 6.77 million at the end of March 2025 with subscriptions in urban and rural areas of 4.26 million and 2.51 million, respectively. The share of urban and rural wireless (5G FWA) subscribers in the total number of wireless (5G FWA) subscribers was 62.97 percent and 37.03 percent, respectively at the end of March 2025.
As of February 2025, Bharti Airtel reported a 5G FWA subscriber base of 1,197,757, while Reliance Jio reported 5,571,332 FWA users, bringing the total to 6,769,089—including 2,506,272 rural subscribers from Jio alone.
Gain and Loss of Wireless Subscribers
Bharti Airtel added 1,250,758 (1.25 million) wireless subscribers, while Reliance Jio added 2,174,747 (2.17 million) subscribers. Meanwhile, Vodafone Idea lost 5,41,377 wireless subscribers during the same period. Public sector units (PSUs) BSNL added 49,177 wireless subscribers and MTNL lost 2,050.
Wireless Market Share of Operators
As of March 31, 2025, private access service providers held a 92.04 percent market share of wireless (mobile) subscribers, while BSNL and MTNL, the two PSU service providers, had a combined market share of only 7.96 percent. This translates to Reliance Jio holding a 40.60 percent market share with 469.8 million wireless subscribers, Bharti Airtel with 33.69 percent market share and 389.8 million wireless subscribers, Vodafone Idea with 17.75 percent market share and 205.36 million wireless subscribers, BSNL with 7.87 percent market share and 91.06 million wireless subscribers, and MTNL with a 0.09 percent market share and 0.99 million wireless subscribers.
Also Read: Airtel and Jio Lead Wireless Subscriber Growth in January 2025, Vodafone Idea and BSNL See Decline
Wireless Broadband Subscribers
Reliance Jio reported 465.10 million wireless broadband (fixed and mobile) subscribers, followed by Bharti Airtel with 280.76 million, Vodafone Idea with 126.40 million, and BSNL with 30.23 million subscribers. The data for Jio and Airtel is based on reports as of November 2024.
Wired Market Share
Wireline subscribers increased from 36.91 million at the end of February 2025 to 37.04 million at the end of March 2025. Net increase in the wireline subscriber base was 0.13 million with a monthly rate of growth 0.37 percent.
In the wireline segment, Reliance Jio held a 34.72 percent market share with 12,859,575 wireline subscribers, adding 1,46,511 subscribers. Bharti Airtel had a 27.38 percent share with 10,141,102 wireline subscribers, adding 68,330 subscribers during the month, and Vodafone Idea reported a 2.23 percent market share with 826,943 wireline subscribers, losing 5,601 subscribers during the month. BSNL reported a market share of 20.74 in the segment with 7,683,781 subscribers losing 31,774 users.
M2M Cellular Connections
According to the report, the number of M2M (Machine-to-Machine) cellular mobile connections increased from 64.71 million at the end of February 2025 to 66.54 million at the end of March 2025. Bharti Airtel has the highest number of M2M cellular mobile connections at 34.82 million, holding a market share of 52.32 percent, followed by Vodafone Idea with 24.39 percent (16.23 million), Reliance Jio with 18.25 percent (12.15 million), and BSNL with 5.04 percent (3.35 million).
Also Read: Airtel, BSNL, and Vi Lose Wireless Subscribers, Jio is the Only Gainer in November 2024: TRAI
Active Wireless Subscribers
Out of the total 1,156.99 million wireless subscribers, 1,074.21 million wireless subscribers were active on the date of peak VLR (Visitor Location Register) in the month of March 2025. The proportion of active wireless subscribers was approximately 92.85 percent of the total wireless subscriber base, according to TRAI. Airtel reported a peak VLR of 99.97 percent during the month, BSNL 63.37 percent, Vodafone Idea (Vi) 85.38 percent, MTNL 48.07 percent, and Reliance Jio 96.01 percent. Active wireless subscribers are based on VLR data.
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