India’s Telecom Sector Sees Steady Growth in 2024–25: TRAI Performance Report

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released its much-anticipated report titled “The Indian Telecom Services - Yearly Performance Indicators” for the financial year 2024–25, offering a comprehensive overview of the evolving landscape of telecom, broadband, satellite television, DTH, and radio services in India. The report, which encapsulates data from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, is based on detailed submissions by service providers across sectors.

The report indicates modest growth in subscriber base, increased broadband penetration, rising mobile data usage, and robust financial performance by telecom operators. Simultaneously, the industry is witnessing a digital transition from narrowband and traditional services toward high-speed broadband, 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), and content-based platforms.

Internet Subscriber Growth: Broadband Leads the Way

India's internet subscriber base rose from 954.40 million in March 2024 to 969.10 million in March 2025—registering an annual growth rate of 1.54%. This growth was driven largely by broadband subscribers, whose number increased to 944.12 million, up 2.17% from the previous year. In contrast, narrowband usage declined significantly, falling from 30.34 million to 24.98 million users, a 17.66% decrease, highlighting a shift toward high-speed connectivity.

Wireless Data Usage and ARPU Surge

India’s digital consumption habits continued to grow, with wireless data subscribers increasing by 2.87% to 939.51 million. The total wireless data volume spiked from 1,94,774 PB to 2,28,779 PB, reflecting a robust 17.46% growth.

Revenue from wireless data followed suit, growing by 15.49% to ₹2.15 lakh crore. The Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) for wireless services increased significantly from ₹149.25 to ₹174.46—a growth of 16.89%.

While prepaid ARPU jumped from ₹146.37 to ₹173.84, postpaid ARPU experienced a slight drop, going from ₹184.63 to ₹180.86.

Minutes of Usage (MoUs) and Call Trends

Average monthly minutes of usage per subscriber grew from 963 to 1000, a 3.91% increase. Prepaid customers saw an increase from 997 to 1047 minutes, while postpaid users saw a drop from 544 to 503 minutes, reflecting changing consumer behavior and possibly a shift toward data-centric communication apps.

Tele-density and Subscriber Distribution

India’s total telephone subscriber base reached 1,200.80 million, showing a modest 0.13% growth. However, overall Tele-density declined slightly from 85.69% to 85.04%.

• Urban subscriptions rose marginally from 665.38 million to 666.11 million, but urban Tele-density dropped from 133.72% to 131.45%.

• Rural subscriptions increased from 533.90 million to 534.69 million, yet rural Tele-density dipped slightly from 59.19% to 59.06%.

The share of rural subscribers remained stable at around 44.53%, reflecting sustained engagement in India’s hinterlands.

Wireless vs. Wireline: Diverging Trajectories

The telecom sector continues to be dominated by wireless subscribers:

• Mobile + 5G FWA users stood at 1,163.76 million, a minor decline of 0.15%.

• Wireline subscribers rose significantly from 33.79 million to 37.04 million, up 9.62%, highlighting the growth of home broadband and enterprise connectivity.

Wireline Tele-density grew from 2.41% to 2.62%, with both urban and rural segments seeing improvements—indicating rising demand for high-speed fixed internet.

Financial Performance: Strong Growth in Telecom Revenue

The industry registered strong financial performance:

• Gross Revenue (GR) rose from ₹3.36 lakh crore to ₹3.72 lakh crore, a 10.72% increase.

• Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) grew by 12.02% to ₹3.03 lakh crore.

• Pass-through charges declined by 1.31%, reducing revenue leakage.

Revenues from Access Services, which contribute 83.65% of AGR, showed considerable gains:

• AGR up 15.52%

• Spectrum Usage Charges up 13.11%

• License fees up 15.57%

Satellite TV, DTH, and Radio Broadcasting

The media and broadcasting sector witnessed mixed trends:

• 918 satellite TV channels permitted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, with 908 downlinkable channels.

• Out of these, 333 channels are pay-TV (232 SD + 101 HD).

• DTH subscribers dropped from 61.97 million to 56.92 million, indicating growing cord-cutting trends in favor of OTT platforms.

As of March 2025:

• There are 4 operational pay DTH providers in India.

• Doordarshan’s free DTH service continues to complement this segment.

FM Radio and Community Broadcasting

India had 388 operational private FM radio stations across 113 cities, run by 33 private operators following a recent merger involving six channels. These exist in addition to the vast All India Radio network.

The Community Radio segment also saw expansion with 531 operational community stations, up from 494 in the previous year, highlighting increasing local and educational content dissemination.

Sustained Growth, Strategic Shifts

The 2024–25 TRAI report reflects sustained sectoral growth, particularly in:

• Broadband penetration

• Revenue performance

• Fixed-line resurgence

At the same time, tele-density challenges, mobile subscriber churn, and DTH subscriber loss reveal areas needing policy attention and market innovation. As India continues its 5G rollout, embraces AI, and pushes digital public infrastructure, the telecom sector remains central to the nation’s digital economy vision.

For full details and access to charts, stakeholders can visit the official TRAI website.