Bharti Airtel’s net subscriber additions gathered momentum in October, with the telco adding 1.25 million new users during the month, up sharply from 437,717 in September, according to the latest subscriber data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai).
Gains, Losses, and Market Share Shifts
Market leader Reliance Jio saw a sequential moderation in net additions, enrolling 2 million new users in October compared with 3.25 million in September.
The steepest decline was recorded by Vodafone Idea. After months of staying just under the one-million mark, the telco’s net subscriber loss widened significantly to 2 million in October (September: 744,222). State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) added 269,215 users in October, down from 524,014 additions in September.
By the end of October 2025, Jio’s total subscriber base stood at 484.7 million (September: 482.7 million). Airtel’s base reached 393.7 million (September: 392.4 million). Vodafone Idea’s subscriber base fell to 200.7 million (September: 202.8 million), while BSNL’s edged up to 92.5 million (September: 92.3 million).
Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)
Airtel added 195,312 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) customers in October, marking a clear acceleration in subscriber uptake. Jio reported an increase of 212,546 FWA customers—slightly slower than its pace of additions the month prior.
Consequently, Jio’s 5G FWA user base rose to 7.4 million (September: 7 million), while Airtel’s reached 2.5 million (September: 2.3 million). The total FWA base in the country climbed to 9.9 million in October.
Jio, which has also launched UBR FWA, added 354,755 new customers to the service, taking its total user base to 2.83 million at the end of October.
Overall, India’s mobile subscriber base grew by 2.3 million to 1.18 billion in October, Trai data shows. Growth was led by rural markets, which added 1.95 million users, while the urban subscriber base expanded by 0.35 million.
Jio’s market share rose marginally to 41.36% (September: 41.24%). Airtel’s subscriber share inched up to 33.59% in October (September: 33.53%). Higher monthly churn led to further erosion in Vodafone Idea’s market share, which fell to 17.13% (September: 17.33%). BSNL’s share increased slightly to 7.9% (September: 7.88%).
Trai data also shows that active subscribers accounted for 93.38% of total wireless users in October (September: 93.01%). The total active subscriber base rose to 1.094 billion from 1.088 billion in September.
Among operators, Airtel’s active subscriber base increased by 2.75 million to 391.91 million, while Jio’s grew by 3.94 million to 475.86 million. Vodafone Idea’s active user base declined by 0.41 million to 171.13 million.
Fixed broadband subscribers rose 0.94% month-on-month to 44.82 million in October (September: 44.4 million).
During the month, 15.05 million users submitted requests for Mobile Number Portability (MNP).