Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released its annual report for financial year 2024-25 (FY25). As per the report, India continued to strengthen its position as the world’s second-largest telecom market, with the total subscriber base increasing to 1,200.80 million by the end of March 2025. Tele-density reached 85.04 per cent, underscoring the near-universal availability of telecom services across the country.
At the end of the financial year 2024-25 (FY25), the overall telecom subscriber base reached 1,200.8 million in comparison to the subscriber base of 1,199.28 million as on March 31, 2024, registering an increase of 1.51 million subscribers during FY25. Meanwhile, the wireless subscriber base was 1,156.99 million at the end of March 31, 2025, in comparison to the subscriber base of 1,165.49 million as on March 31, 2024, registering a decrease of 8.50 million subscribers during FY25.
Further, the total wireline subscriber base as on March 31, 2025, stood at 37.04 million as compared to 33.79 million subscribers on March 31, 2024, registering an increase of 3.25 million subscribers during the year. Out of 37.04 million wireline subscribers, 33.54 million are urban subscribers and 3.50 million are rural subscribers.
The internet subscriber base in the country as on March 31, 2025, stood at 969.10 million as compared to 954.40 million as on March 31, 2024. The total broadband subscriber base of the country as on March 31, 2025 is 944.12 million whereas it was 924.07 million as on March 31, 2024.
Furthermore, one of the most remarkable developments in 2024-25 was the rapid rollout of 5G services. This infrastructure milestone enabled high-speed connectivity and industrial automation across sectors like healthcare, education, logistics, and manufacturing. The evolution of 5G mobile technology signals a promising future for the telecom sector.
The report also mentioned that the swift deployment of 5G is enabling advanced use cases across sectors such as healthcare, education, manufacturing, logistics, and modern infrastructure, while also preparing the ground for future technologies including artificial intelligence, the internet of Things, and Industry 4.0.
From a regulatory standpoint, the Telecommunications Act, 2023 played a defining role in shaping the sector’s trajectory during 2024-25. TRAI issued important recommendations covering service authorisation frameworks, spectrum sharing and leasing, terahertz spectrum usage, and network authorisations, with the objective of simplifying licensing processes, improving spectrum efficiency, and promoting innovation.
The annual report also noted that steps taken to curb spam calls and fraudulent messaging, along with stronger consumer protection measures, helped enhance trust in digital communications. Additionally, TRAI highlighted a broader shift towards technology-neutral and light-touch regulation, aimed at encouraging investment while preserving fair competition. Increased focus on infrastructure sharing, right-of-way reforms, and fibre deployment contributed to improved network quality and expanded coverage, particularly in underserved areas.