Airtel says India is shifting toward converged home experiences across broadband, TV and OTT services.
Airtel says Xstream Fiber is expanding quickly, supported by a fibre network now over 5,00,000 km long
Photo Credit: Airtel
Airtel has announced new milestones for its Xstream Fiber broadband service, reporting strong year-on-year expansion and a growing role for the Xstream platform within its consumer business. As per the telecom giant, the Xstream Fiber division has recorded more than 50 percent annual growth in home passes, supported by a nationwide fibre footprint, which is now exceeding 5,00,000 kilometres. Airtel says these developments reflect the increasing demand for broadband and home connectivity across the country.
In an email to Gadgets 360, Airtel stated that India's base of “connected homes,” or households using smart TVs, streaming devices and connected appliances, is expanding rapidly. The company expects this number to grow from 50 million to 100 million over the medium term, highlighting a shift in consumer preferences. The telecom operator said it is accelerating its fibre rollout to cater to this rising demand and to strengthen its presence in the home broadband category.
Airtel described the current phase of the broadband market as a period where operators are expanding coverage quickly and acquiring new customers at scale. The company said this “land-grab” stage is important for building a strong subscriber foundation before home connectivity services evolve further.
As part of this strategy, Airtel highlighted the growing importance of its Xstream ecosystem, which brings together broadband, live TV channels and over-the-top (OTT) streaming platforms under one umbrella. According to the company, the Xstream portfolio offers a unified home entertainment experience while retaining broadband as the core service.
Notably, Xstream Fiber was launched in 2019 as Airtel's fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband service, initially focused on high-speed plans for metropolices and tier-1 cities. Over time, the company expanded the service to tier-2 and tier-3 cities, and it now covers more than 1,100 cities across India. The telecom giant positions Xstream Fiber as a high-capacity broadband network with plans offering up to gigabit-level speeds for data-heavy usage, including streaming, remote work and home devices.
Airtel pairs Xstream Fiber with devices such as the Xstream Box and Xstream Smart TVs, which run Google TV and integrate multiple OTT services into a single interface. The company has also partnered with leading streaming platforms through subscription bundles, allowing its broadband customers to access a broad catalogue of digital content.
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