India’s Wireless Base Rises to 1.184 Billion; Jio Tops Additions, Vi Continues Decline

Along with fellow public sector operator MTNL, BSNL accounted for 7.92 percent of India's total wireless subscriber base, reflecting the limited role of public providers in the telecom market.

In contrast, Vodafone Idea (Vi) suffered the largest net loss among all major telecom providers, losing 2.083 million wireless subscribers in October. This reduced its total wireless subscriber base from approximately 202.8 million in September to approximately 200.7 million at the end of October. As a result, Vi's market share of the total wireless subscriber base further declined to 17.13 percent, the lowest among large private TSPs.

Like Jio, Bharti Airtel also strengthened its wireless subscriber base in India, reaching a total of 393.7 million. The company registered a market share of 33.59 percent, helped by the addition of 1.252 million new wireless subscribers.

Overall, the number of wireless (mobile + fixed wireless access) subscribers increased from 1182.32 million at the end of September 2025 to 1184.62 million at the end of October 2025, with a monthly growth rate of 0.19 percent.

Subscriptions in urban areas declined from 640.17 million in September to 639.99 million in October, while subscriptions in rural areas increased from 530.27 million to 531.88 million during the same period.