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“Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicator Report” for the Quarter July-September, 2025

TRAI today has released the “Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicator Report” for the Quarter ending 30^th September, 2025. This Report provides a broad perspective of the Telecom Services in India and presents the key parameters and growth trends of the Telecom Services as well as Cable TV, DTH & Radio Broadcasting services in India for the period covering 1^st July, 2025 to 30^th September, 2025 compiled mainly on the basis of information furnished by the Service Providers.

Executive Summary of the Report is enclosed. The complete Report is available on TRAI’s website (www.trai.gov.in and under the link http://www. trai.gov.in/release-publication/reports/performance-indicators-reports). Any suggestion or any clarification pertaining to this report, Shri Vijay Kumar, Advisor (F&EA), TRAI may be contacted on Tel. +91-20907773 and e-mail:     fea1-div@trai.gov.in.

 

The Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicators

July–September, 2025

 

Executive Summary

 

1. Total number of Internet subscribers increased from 1002.85 million at the end of Jun-25 to 1017.81 million at the end of Sep-25, registering a quarterly rate of growth 1.49%. Out of 1,070.81 million internet subscribers, number of Wired Internet subscribers are 44.42 million and number of Wireless Internet subscribers are 973.39 million.

 

Composition of internet subscription

 

 

2. The Internet subscriber base is comprised of Broadband Internet subscriber base of 995.63 million and Narrowband Internet subscriber base of 22.18 million.

 

3. The broadband Internet subscriber base increased by 1.63% from 979.71 million at the end of Jun-25 to 995.63 million at the end of Sep-25. The narrowband Internet subscriber base decreased from 23.14 million at the end of Jun-25 to 22.18 million at the end of Sep-25.

 

4. Wireline subscribers decreased from 47.49 million at the end of Jun-25 to 46.61 million at the end of Sep-25 with a quarterly rate of decline 1.84%. On Y-O-Y basis, wireline subscriptions increased by 26.21% at the end of QE Sep-25.

 

5. Wireline Tele-density decreased from 3.36% at the end of Jun-25 to 3.29% at the end of Sep-25 with quarterly rate of decline 2.06%.

 

6. Monthly Average Revenue per User (ARPU) for wireless service increased by 2.34%, from Rs.186.62 in QE Jun-25 to Rs.190.99 in QE Sep-25. On Y-O-Y basis, monthly ARPU for wireless service increased by 10.67% in this quarter.

 

7. The ARPU per month for the pre-paid segment is Rs.189.69 and the ARPU per month for the post-paid segment is Rs.204.55 for Q.E. Sep-25.

                              

8. On an all-India average, the overall MOU per month decreased by 0.10% from 1006 in Q.E. Jun-25 to 1005 in Q.E. Sep-25. 

 

9. Prepaid MOU per subscriber is 1052 and Postpaid MOU per subscriber per month is 516 in QE Sep-25.

 

10. Gross Revenue (GR), Applicable Gross Revenue (ApGR) and Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) of Telecom Service Sector for the Q.E. Sep-25 has been Rs.99,828 Crore, Rs.94,301 crore and Rs.82,348 Crore respectively.  GR increased by 3.29%, ApGR by 2.22% and AGR increased by 1.26% in Q.E. Sep-25, as compared to previous quarter. 

 

11. The Y-O-Y rate of growth in GR, ApGR and AGR in Q.E. Sep-25 over the same quarter in last year has been 9.19%, 6.87% and 9.35% respectively.

 

12. Pass Through Charges increased from Rs.10,457 Crore in QE Jun-25 to Rs.11,426 Crore in QE Sep-25 with quarterly rate of growth 9.26%. The Y-O-Y rate of decline 11.61% has been recorded in pass-through charges for QE Sep-25.

 

13. The License Fee increased from Rs.6,506 Crore for the QE Jun-25 to Rs.6,588 Crore for the QE Sep-25. The quarterly and the   Y-O-Y rates of growth in license fees are 1.25% and 9.38% respectively in this quarter.       

 

Service-wise composition of Adjusted Gross Revenue

 

 

14. Access services contributed 84.07% of the total Adjusted Gross Revenue of telecom services. In Access services, Gross Revenue (GR), Applicable Gross Revenue (ApGR), Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR), License Fee, Spectrum Usage Charges (SUC) and Pass Through Charges increased by 3.31%, 2.40%, 1.81%, 1.80%, -0.79% and 7.54% respectively in QE Sep-25.

 

15. The number of total telephone subscribers in India increased from 1,218.36 million at the end of Jun-25 to 1,228.94 million at the end of Sep-25, registering a rate of growth 0.87% over the previous quarter. This reflects Year-On-Year (Y-O-Y) rate of growth 3.22% over the same quarter of the last year. The overall Tele-density in India increased from 86.09% in QE Jun-25 to 86.65% in QE Sep-25.

Trends in Telephone subscribers and Tele-density in India

 

16. Telephone subscribers in Urban areas increased from 679.86 million at the end of Jun-25 to 689.11 million at the end of Sep-25 and Urban Tele-density also increased from 133.56% to 134.76% during the same period.

 

17. Rural telephone subscribers increased from 538.50 million at the end of Jun-25 to 539.83 million at the end of Sep-25 and Rural Tele-density also increased from 59.43% to 59.52% during the same period.

 

18. Out of the total subscription, the share of Rural subscription decreased from 44.20% at the end of Jun-25 to 43.93% at the end of Sep-25.

 

Composition of Telephone Subscribers

 

   

 

19. With a net addition of 11.45 million subscribers during the quarter, the total wireless (mobile + FWA) subscriber base increased from 1170.88 million at the end of Jun-25 to 1182.32 million at the end of Sep-25, registering a rate of growth 0.98% over the previous quarter. On Y-O-Y basis, wireless subscriptions increased at the rate of 2.48% during the year.  

 

20. Wireless (mobile + FWA) Tele-density increased from 82.74% at the end of Jun-25 to 83.36% at the end of Sep-25 with quarterly rate of growth 0.76%.

 

21. With a net addition of 7.41 million subscribers during the quarter, the wireless (mobile) subscriber base increased from 1163.03 million at the end of Jun-25 to 1170.44 million at the end of Sep-25, registering a rate of growth 0.64% over the previous quarter. On Y-O-Y basis, wireless subscriptions also increased at the rate of 1.45% during the year.  

 

22. Wireless (mobile) Tele-density increased from 82.18% at the end of Jun-25 to 82.53% at the end of Sep-25 with quarterly rate of growth of 0.42%.

 

23. During this quarter, the following parameters in terms of QoS benchmarks have been fully complied with by wireline service providers in all the LSAs: -

S.N.	Parameter	Benchmark
1	Provision of a service within 7 working days of payment of demand note by the customer	≥ 98%
2	Fault incidences (No. of faults per 100 subscribers)	≤ 5
3	Point of Interconnection (POI) Congestion (90th percentile value)	≤ 0.5%
4	Percentage of calls answered by the operators (voice to voice) within 90 seconds	≥ 95%
5	Termination/ closure of service within seven working days of receipt of customer’s request	100%

 

 

24. During this quarter, list of QoS parameters which are fully complied with by all the Access Service (Wireless) providers in all the LSAs: -

S.N.	Parameter	Benchmark
1	Availability of service wise geospatial coverage map on service provider’s website for percentage of working cells	≥ 99%
2	Cumulative downtime (Cells not available for service)	≤ 2%
3	Worst Affected Cells due to downtime	≤ 2%
4	Percentage of significant network outage (services not available in a district for more than 4 hours) reported to the Authority within 24 hrs of start of the outage	100%
5	Call Set-up Success Rate: Intra-Service provider (within service provider’s network)	≥ 98%
6	Call Set-up Success Rate: Inter- Service provider (incoming from other service providers' network)	≥ 95%
7	Point of Interconnection (POI) Congestion (90th percentile value)	≤ 0.5%
8	DCR Spatial Distribution Measure for Circuit Switched (2G/3G) network [CS_QSD (88, 88)]	≤ 2%
9	DCR Spatial Distribution Measure for Packet Switched (4G/5G and beyond) network [PS_QSD (92, 92)]	≤ 2%
10	Downlink Packet Drop Rate for Packet Switched Network (4G/5G and beyond) [DLPDR_QSD (88, 88)]	≤ 2%
11	Uplink Packet Drop Rate for Packet Switched Network (4G/5G and beyond) [ULPDR_QSD (88, 88)]	≤ 2%
12	Latency (in 4G and 5G network)	≤ 75 msec
13	Packet Drop Rate (in 4G and 5G network)	≤ 3%
14	Percentile value of measured test samples for which download and upload speed is ≥ offered typical download and upload speed in tariff offerings	80th percentile
15	Billing and charging complaints	≤ 0.1%
16	Resolution of billing/ charging complaints within four weeks	100%
17	Application of adjustment to customer’s account within one week from the date of resolution of billing and charging complaints or rectification of faults or rectification of significant network outage, as applicable	100%
18	Accessibility of call centre/ customer care	≥ 95%
19	Termination/ closure of service within seven working days of receipt of customer’s request	100%
20	Refund of deposits within 45 days of closure of service or non-provisioning of service	100%

 

25. List of QoS parameters which are fully complied with by all the Broadband (Wireline) Service providers in all the service areas: -

S. No.	Parameter	Benchmark
1.	Latency	≤ 50 msec
2.	Packet Drop Rate	≤ 1%
3.	Maximum Bandwidth utilization of any Customer serving node to ISP Gateway Node [Intra-network] or Internet Exchange Point Link(s)	≤ 80%
4.	Jitter	≤ 40ms

 

26. A total of 916 private satellite TV channels have been permitted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) for uplinking only/downlinking only/both uplinking & downlinking.  

 

27. As per the reporting done by broadcasters in pursuance of the Tariff Order dated 3^rd March 2017, as amended, out of 916 permitted satellite TV channels which are available for downlinking in India, there are 334 satellite pay TV channels as on 30^th September, 2025. Out of 334 pay channels, 232 are SD satellite pay TV channels and 102 are HD satellite pay TV channels.  Apart from these pay channels reported to TRAI, remaining 572 channels, permitted by MIB, are considered as Free-to-Air (FTA) channels.

 

28. During the QE 30^th September 2025, there were 4 pay DTH service providers in the country. As per the data reported by these DTH operators, pay DTH has attained a total active subscriber base of around 52.78 million as on 30th September 2025. This is in addition to the subscribers of the DD Free Dish (free DTH services of Prasar Bharati). The total active subscriber base of pay DTH services has declined from 56.07 million in the quarter ending June 2025 to 52.78 million in the quarter ending September 2025.

 

29. Apart from the radio channels operated by All India Radio, the public broadcaster, as per the data reported by FM Radio operators to TRAI, as on 30^th June 2025, there were 388 operational private FM Radio channels in 113 cities operated by 32 private FM Radio operators. During the quarter ending 30^th September 2025, the operation of the single FM Radio station by ITM Software & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. in the city of Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, has ceased.  Now, as of September 2025, there are 387 operational private FM radio channels across 113 cities, operated by 31 private FM radio operators. 

 

30. The advertisement revenue reported by FM Radio operators during the quarter ending 30^th September 2025 in respect of 387 private FM Radio channels is Rs 399.96 crore as against Rs 383.14 crore in respect of 388 private FM Radio channels for the previous quarter i.e. 30^th June 2025. 

 

31. As on 30^th September, 2025, 548 Community Radio stations are operational.

 

SNAPSHOT

 

(Data as on Q.E. 30th September, 2025)
Telecom Subscribers (Wireless+Wireline)
Total Subscribers	1,228.94 million
% change over the previous quarter	0.87%
Urban Subscribers	689.11 million
Rural Subscribers	539.83 million
Market share of Private Operators	91.70%
Market share of PSU Operators	8.30%
Tele-density	86.65%
Urban Tele-density	134.76%
Rural Tele-density	59.52%
Wireless (Mobile+FWA) Subscribers
Wireless (Mobile) Subscribers	1,170.44 million
Wireless (5G FWA+UBR FWA) Subscribers	11.88 million
Total Wireless Subscribers	1,182.32 million
% change over the previous quarter	0.98%
Urban Subscribers	647.47 million
Rural Subscribers	534.85 million
Market share of Private Operators	92.17%
Market share of PSU Operators	7.83%
Tele-density	83.36%
Urban Tele-density	126.62%
Rural Tele-density	58.98%
Total Wireless Data Usage during the quarter	69,090 PB
Number of Public Mobile Radio Trunk Services (PMRTS)	64,731
Number of Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSAT)	2,19,607
Wireline Subscribers
Total Wireline Subscribers	46.61 million
% change over the previous quarter	-1.84%
Urban Subscribers	41.64 million
Rural Subscribers	4.98 million
Market share of PSU Operators	20.38%
Market share of Private Operators	79.62%
Tele-density	3.29%
Rural Tele-density	0.55%
Urban Tele-density	8.14%
No. of Public Call Office (PCO)	6,801
Telecom Financial Data
Gross Revenue (GR) during the quarter	Rs. 99,828 crore
% change in GR over the previous quarter	3.29%
Applicable Gross Revenue (ApGR) during quarter	Rs. 94,301 crore
% change in ApGR over the previous quarter	2.22%
Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) during the quarter	Rs. 82,348 crore
% change in AGR over the previous quarter	1.26%
Share of Public sector undertakings in Access AGR	2.98%
Internet/Broadband Subscribers
Total Internet Subscribers	1017.81 million
% change over previous quarter	1.49%
Narrowband subscribers	22.18 million
Broadband subscribers	995.63 million
Fixed (Wired) Access Internet Subscribers	44.42 million
Wireless (Fixed+Mobile) Access Internet Subscribers	973.39 million
Urban Internet Subscribers	590.11 million
Rural Internet Subscribers	427.70 million
Total Internet Subscribers per 100 population	71.76%
Urban Internet Subscribers per 100 population	115.40%
Rural Internet Subscribers per 100 population	47.16%
Total Outgoing Minutes of Usage for Internet Telephony	67.63 million
No. of Public Wi-Fi Hotspots	55,940
Aggregate Data Consumed (TB) for Wi-Fi Hotspots	10,778 TB
Broadcasting & Cable Services
Number of private satellite TV channels permitted by the Ministry of I&B for uplinking only/downlinking only/both uplinking and downlinking	916
Number of Pay TV Channels as reported by broadcasters	334
Number of private FM Radio Stations (excluding All India Radio)	387
Number of total active subscribers with pay DTH operators	52.78 million
Number of Operational Community Radio Stations	548
Number of pay DTH Operators	4
Revenue & Usage Parameters
Monthly ARPU of Wireless Service	Rs.190.99
Minutes of Usage (MOU) per subscriber per month - Wireless Service	1005
Wireless Data Usage
Average Wireless Data Usage per wireless data subscriber per month	25.24 GB
Average revenue realization per GB for wireless data usage during the quarter	Rs.8.27

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 MI/ARJ