India's telephone subscriber base crosses 1.2 billion mark in April

India's total telephone subscriber base expanded to 1,203.84 million at the end of April 2025, marking a monthly growth rate of 0.25 percent. This increase from 1,200.80 million in March was revealed in the latest telecom subscription data released by the government on Thursday.

The growth was observed across both urban and rural areas. Urban telephone subscriptions rose from 666.11 million in March to 667.19 million in April, showing a monthly growth of 0.16 percent. Rural subscriptions saw a more significant increase, climbing from 534.69 million to 536.65 million, with a higher monthly growth rate of 0.37 percent, according to the Ministry of Communications.

Wireless segment drives growth

The wireless segment, encompassing mobile and 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) connections, was a primary driver of this expansion. Total wireless subscribers increased by 0.23 percent, from 1,163.76 million in March to 1,166.43 million in April.

Within the wireless category, urban subscriptions grew from 632.57 million to 633.29 million, while rural wireless subscriptions saw a rise from 531.18 million to 533.14 million.

The monthly growth rates for urban and rural wireless subscriptions were 0.11 percent and 0.37 percent, respectively.

Tele-density continues upward trend

The overall tele-density, a key indicator of telecom penetration, also saw an increase, moving from 85.04 percent at the end of March to 85.19 percent by the end of April.

Urban tele-density slightly edged up from 131.45 percent to 131.46 percent, while rural tele-density improved from 59.06 percent to 59.26 percent during the same period.

Market share and M2M connections

As of April 30, private access service providers continued to dominate the wireless market, holding a substantial 92.08 percent market share.

In contrast, the two Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) access service providers, BSNL and MTNL, accounted for 7.92 percent of the market.

In the machine-to-machine (M2M) cellular mobile connections segment, Bharti Airtel Limited maintained its lead with 37.28 million connections, securing a market share of 53.35 percent, followed by Vodafone Idea Limited.

Additionally, the data indicated that 13.48 million subscribers submitted requests for Mobile Number Portability (MNP) during April, allowing them to switch service providers while retaining their existing number.