India’s telecom sector showed continued growth in the December 2025 quarter, as per the latest report from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. Internet subscribers in the country surpassed 1.02 billion, with a notable increase in overall telephone connections. The report highlighted growth in internet users, telephone subscribers, revenues, and telecom companies’ average earnings.
The total number of internet subscribers rose from 1,017.81 million in September 2025 to 1,028.61 million by December 2025, marking a quarterly growth of 1.06 percent. Of these subscribers, 983.29 million accessed the internet wirelessly, while 45.32 million used wired connections. Additionally, the broadband subscriber base exceeded 1 billion, reaching 1,007.35 million.
Telephone subscribers in India witnessed a significant surge during the quarter, climbing from 1,228.94 million in September to 1,306.14 million in December. This represented a quarterly growth of 6.28 percent and a year-on-year increase of 9.77 percent. The overall tele-density in the country also improved from 86.65 percent to 91.74 percent during the same period.
Wireless subscribers, including mobile and fixed wireless access users, grew by 76.45 million in the quarter, reaching a total of 1,258.77 million. The wireless tele-density rose from 83.36 percent to 88.41 percent, with the mobile subscriber base alone expanding to 1,244.20 million.
Telecom companies reported enhanced financial performance, with Gross Revenue (GR) hitting Rs 1,02,475 crore in the December quarter and Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) reaching Rs 84,270 crore. Both figures showed growth on a quarterly and yearly basis. The Monthly Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) for wireless services also increased to Rs 194.57 from Rs 190.99 in the previous quarter, indicating improved earnings per subscriber.
In the broadcasting sector, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting authorized 920 private satellite TV channels as of December 31, 2025. Among these, 335 were pay TV channels, while the rest were free-to-air channels.
