TRAI Data: India’s mobile subscribers rise in December 2025; Airtel gains while BSNL, Vodafone Idea lose users

BSNL, Airtel, Vodafone Idea Wireless Subscribers: India’s mobile subscriber base grew in December 2025, but the gains were not evenly shared among telecom operators. Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel added the most users, while Vodafone Idea and state-run BSNL continued to lose subscribers, according to data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

Month-on-month data showed that Bharti Airtel added 5.42 million mobile subscribers during the month, while Reliance Jio gained around 2.96 million users. Both operators saw additions across several service circles.

On the other hand, Vodafone Idea lost about 9.4 lakh mobile subscribers in December, extending its recent trend of user losses. BSNL also reported a decline of nearly 2.06 lakh subscribers. Although the public sector operator saw small gains in a few circles, its overall mobile subscriber base continued to shrink, TRAI data showed. 

Telecom operators add 7.23 million mobile subscribers

Overall, telecom operators added a net 7.23 million mobile subscribers in December. India’s total telephone subscriber base, covering both wireless and wireline connections, rose to 1.306 billion by December 2025. This marked a monthly growth of 0.66 per cent, according to the telecom regulator. The increase was mainly driven by the wireless segment, which continued to bring in most of the new users.

Total number of wireless subscribers climb to 1.258 billion 

The total number of wireless subscribers, including mobile and fixed wireless access services, climbed to 1.258 billion in December, with net additions of 8.21 million users. Wireless tele-density improved to 88.41 per cent during the month. However, there was a wide gap between urban and rural areas, with urban tele-density at 140.66 per cent compared with 59.07 per cent in rural India, TRAI data showed.

The wireline segment also posted modest growth during the month. Wireline subscribers increased from 47.05 million in November to 47.37 million in December 2025, marking a monthly growth rate of 0.68 per cent. Urban areas continued to dominate the segment, while rural wireline tele-density remained low, according to the regulator.

Broadband Segment: Reaches 1,007.35 Million in December

In the broadband segment, total subscribers crossed the one-billion mark, reaching 1,007.35 million at the end of December. Mobile wireless broadband remained the dominant access mode. Fixed wireless access also saw growth, with 5G FWA subscribers increasing 5.59 per cent month on month, underscoring the gradual uptake of next-generation broadband services nationwide.

The TRAI report also pointed to sustained churn in the mobile market. In December 2025, approximately 16.12 million subscribers submitted Mobile Number Portability requests. (With ANI Inputs)