India's telecommunications landscape witnessed a significant shift in subscriber dynamics during December 2025, with Bharti Airtel emerging as the leader in net wireless additions, according to the latest data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The figures, published on February 10, 2026, reveal that Airtel added approximately 5.4 million mobile users during the month, substantially outpacing the nearly 3 million net additions reported by market leader Reliance Jio. This development marks a notable change in the competitive momentum between the nation's two dominant private carriers.
Conversely, the data underscores the ongoing struggles for other operators. Vodafone Idea (Vi) continued to experience subscriber erosion, losing around 0.94 million customers. The state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) also saw a decline, shedding about 0.21 million subscribers. By the end of December, Jio maintained its overall lead with 489.05 million wireless users, followed closely by Airtel with 463.38 million. The churn data provides a critical public scorecard in a market increasingly defined by a duopoly, with smaller players facing persistent challenges.
A crucial caveat highlighted by TRAI complicates direct operator comparisons. The regulator noted that Bharti Airtel began including its machine-to-machine (M2M) SIM connections in its reported wireless subscriber totals starting in December. These M2M links, used in devices like smart meters, vehicle trackers, and other IoT applications, were previously excluded from its counts until November 2025. This methodological shift can inflate subscriber numbers without necessarily reflecting genuine consumer network switches. Separately, TRAI stated it used Airtel's November broadband data for its December report, as the company did not submit its December figures as prescribed.
India's broader connectivity milestones reached new heights. The total number of telephone subscribers rose to 1.306 billion by end-December, translating to a tele-density of 91.74 connections per 100 people. A landmark was achieved in broadband, where subscriptions crossed the 1 billion threshold, reaching approximately 1.007 billion. Mobile broadband constituted the vast majority at 947.30 million, while fixed wired lines stood at 45.29 million. Notably, fixed wireless access (FWA) subscriptions grew to 14.77 million, expanding at a faster rate than traditional wired lines. FWA, which delivers home internet over cellular networks like 5G, is being pushed by operators as a quicker-to-deploy alternative to fibre, especially in areas where laying cable is slow or economically unviable.
Within the burgeoning FWA segment, competition is intense. Reports indicate Airtel logged 305,933 net additions in 5G-based FWA for December, slightly ahead of Jio's 275,746. Another wireless broadband category tracked by TRAI, UBR FWA, added 392,143 connections during the month. This growth provides telcos with an additional product to bundle for customers, potentially increasing loyalty and average revenue per user. In the overall broadband subscriber race, Jio led decisively with 514 million users, followed by Airtel at 314 million and Vi at 128 million.
The report also shed light on subscriber activity, a key metric for revenue potential. The Visitor Location Register (VLR), which tracks SIMs actively seen on the network, recorded about 1.16 billion active users. Airtel demonstrated exceptional engagement, with nearly 99% of its reported subscriber base registered as active. In stark contrast, BSNL's activity level was just 58.2%, indicating a large proportion of inactive SIMs that do not generate data or call revenue. This "activity gap" is a critical differentiator in assessing the true health and monetization potential of each operator's customer base.
Other data points from the release include a significant figure for machine-to-machine cellular connections, which increased to 109.19 million nationwide. Of these, Airtel held a commanding 61.31% share. Furthermore, the mobile number portability (MNP) scheme, which allows users to switch operators while retaining their phone numbers, processed 16.12 million requests in December, reflecting continued consumer mobility within the market.
Analysts caution that the December headline numbers, while dramatic, require nuanced interpretation due to the inclusion of M2M connections. As noted by industry observers, the underlying story of network activity and quality of subscribers is as important as the gross addition figures. The directional trend, however, remains unambiguous: Jio and Airtel continue to consolidate their market positions by adding users—both human and machine—while Vi and BSNL grapple with losses and lower engagement, shaping the competitive contours of Indian telecom as it moves deeper into the 5G and digital services era.
