BSNL Gains 2 Million Users While Vi Loses 3 Million Subscribers in October, TRAI Data Reveals

The Indian telecom sector recorded a modest uptick in the number of overall wireless subscribers in October. According to the latest telecom subscription data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Reliance Jio continued its strong subscriber momentum, adding 1.997 million new subscribers. BSNL also benefited from 0.269 million new subscribers, while Vi lost 0.2083 million wireless subscribers during the same period.

Overall, the number of wireless subscribers (mobile + Fixed Wireless Access) registered a growth rate of 0.19 percent month-over-month (MoM).

TRAI's Latest Telecom Subscriber Data

According to the report, Jio's additions in terms of number of wireless subscribers decreased from 3.249 million in September and 1.997 million in October. This, however, still marked the highest monthly addition among all telecom service providers (TSPs), bringing its wireless user base to roughly 484.7 million. The telco had a growth rate of 0.41 percent MoM.

Based on this data, Reliance Jio maintained its clear position as the market leader in the telecom sector.

BSNL's fortunes also saw an uptick. As per the report, the state-owned added 0.26 million new wireless subscribers, representing a gain of roughly 0.26 million. Combined with its PSU peer MTNL, BSNL accounted for 7.92 percent of the total wireless subscriber base in India.

In contrast, Vodafone Idea (Vi) suffered the largest net loss among all major telecom providers, losing 2.083 million wireless subscribers in October. This caused its total wireless subscriber base to fall from roughly 202.8 million in September to about 200.7 million at the end of October. Consequently, Vi's market share of the total wireless subscriber base further reduced to 17.13 percent — the lowest among the major private TSPs.

Like Jio, Bharti Airtel also strengthened its wireless subscriber base in India, reaching a total of 393.7 million. The telco registered as 33.59 percent market share, helped by the addition of 1.252 million new wireless subscribers.

In total, the number of wireless (Mobile + Fixed Wireless Access) subscribers increased from 1182.32 million at the end of September 2025 to 1184.62 million at the end of October 2025, thereby registering a monthly growth rate of 0.19 percent.

Subscriptions in urban areas decreased from 640.17 million in September to 639.99 million in October, while those in rural areas increased from 530.27 million to 531.88 million during the same period.