TRAI Q1 2025 Telecom Report: India Crosses 1.2 Billion Subscribers

India’s telecom sector has shown robust growth in the first quarter of 2025, as per the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) report released for the period January–March 2025. The total telecom subscriber base surged to 1.2 billion, wireless data usage soared, and gross revenues touched ₹98,250 crore, reflecting the sector’s resilience and expansion amid growing digital adoption and evolving user behavior.

Why in News?

The release of the Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicator Report for Q1 2025 offers valuable insights into subscriber trends, financial performance, internet penetration, and broadcasting statistics, making it a vital barometer for understanding the state and direction of India’s dynamic telecom ecosystem.

Subscriber Base and Growth

• Total Subscribers: 1,200.80 million (↑0.91% from Dec 2024)
• Urban: 666.11 million
• Rural: 534.69 million
• National Tele-density: 85.04%
• Urban: 131.45%
• Rural: 59.06%
• Wireless Subscribers: 1,163.76 million (↑1.14%)
• Mobile: 1,156.99 million
• 5G Fixed WirelessAccess(FWA): 6.77 million
• Wireline Subscribers: Dropped 5.67% to 37.04 million

Internet Usage

• Total Internet Subscribers: 969.10 million (↓0.11%)
• Wired: 41.41 million
• Wireless: 927.70 million
• Broadband Users: 944.12 million
• Internet Penetration: 68.63 per 100 citizens
• Urban: 110.79
• Rural: 45.03

Financial Performance

• Gross Revenue (GR): ₹98,250 crore (↑1.93% QoQ; ↑11.74% YoY)
• Applicable GR (ApGR): ₹92,618 crore (↑0.30%)
• Adjusted GR (AGR): ₹79,226 crore (↑1.66%)
• License Fees: ₹6,340 crore
• Pass-through Charges: ₹12,982 crore

Broadcasting & Cable Services

• Satellite TV Channels Permitted: 918
• Pay-TV: 333 (101 HD, rest SD)
• Active Pay DTH Subscribers: 56.92 million (↓from 58.22 million)
• FM Radio Channels: 388 in 113 cities
• Ad revenue: ₹466.63 crore (↓from ₹500.11 crore)
• Community Radio Stations: 531

Market Share & Infrastructure

• Private Operators’ Share: 91.47% (Wireless: 92.09%)
• PSUs’ Share: 8.53% (Wireless: 7.91%)
• PMRTS Connections: 67,023
• VSAT Terminals: 2.43 lakh+