India’s Broadband Subscribers Reach 945 Million in January: Official Report

Synopsis

As of January, India's broadband subscribers reached 945.16 million, showing a 0.04% monthly increase. This growth is largely attributed to mobile broadband users. The top five providers dominate the market, holding 98.43% of the share, with Bharti Airtel leading at 289.31 million subscribers.

Key Takeaways

Broadband subscribers increased to 945.16 million.
Monthly growth rate of 0.04%.
Mobile broadband users rose to 899.04 million.
Top five providers control 98.43% of the market.
Over 14.14 million MNP requests in January.

New Delhi, April 21 (NationPress) The cumulative count of broadband subscribers rose from 944.96 million at the conclusion of December to 945.16 million at the close of January, reflecting a monthly growth rate of 0.04 percent, as per government data released on Monday.

This broadband segment encompasses both wired and wireless users. The modest increase was primarily driven by mobile broadband users, whose figures climbed from 898.57 million to 899.04 million during the month.

The leading five broadband providers (both wired and wireless) maintained a substantial market share of 98.43 percent.

Among these, Bharti Airtel boasted a subscriber base of 289.31 million, while Vodafone Idea secured third place with 126.41 million subscribers.

BSNL and Atria Convergence Technologies completed the top five with 35.77 million and 2.28 million subscribers, respectively.

In the wired broadband sector, Airtel accounted for 8.55 million users. BSNL had 4.26 million subscribers, followed by Atria with 2.28 million, and Kerala Vision Broadband with 1.28 million.

These five entities collectively commanded a market share of 67.67 percent in the fixed broadband arena, according to the report.

In terms of wireless, mobile and fixed wireless broadband subscriptions displayed contrasting trends. Mobile broadband subscriptions experienced a slight increase from 898.57 million in December to 899.04 million in January, marking a 0.05 percent growth.

Meanwhile, fixed wireless broadband users were recorded at 4.98 million for the same period.

The telecom report also highlighted that 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) subscribers, previously categorized under wireline, are now counted within the wireless category.

This adjustment contributed to an overall rise in total wireless subscribers, which escalated from 1,150.66 million in December to 1,157 million in January, indicating a 0.55 percent increase.

Additionally, over 14.14 million users utilized Mobile Number Portability (MNP) in January, bringing the cumulative number of MNP requests to 1,093.33 million since the service's launch.

In summary, the telecom sector exhibited stability with modest growth in both broadband and wireless users, while urban areas continued to excel in tele-density and market saturation, as per the report.