India’s broadband landscape reached a historic milestone in November 2025 as the subscriber base officially crossed the 1 billion mark, according to the Ministry of Communications. Over the past decade, the broadband sector has expanded more than sixfold, reflecting the country’s rapid digital transformation and growing internet penetration.
At the end of November 2015, India had approximately 131.5 million broadband subscribers, a figure that has surged to 1.0037 billion over ten years. The recent data highlights a sustained growth trajectory, underpinned primarily by wireless connectivity and increasing demand for high-speed internet across urban and rural areas.
Alongside broadband, India’s overall internet subscriber base also showed positive growth. TRAI data indicates that total internet users increased from 1.00285 billion at the end of the April-June quarter (Q1 FY26) to 1.01781 billion by the end of July-September (Q2 FY26), marking a quarterly rise of 1.49 percent. Out of the total 1.07081 billion internet users, 44.42 million access the web via wired connections, while a vast majority of 973.39 million rely on wireless networks.
The broadband-specific growth was also significant, with subscriptions climbing 1.63 percent from 979.71 million in June to 995.63 million by September 2025. In contrast, narrowband subscriptions saw a slight decline from 23.14 million to 22.18 million during the same period. Wireline subscribers decreased marginally from 47.49 million in Q1 to 46.61 million in Q2, though a year-on-year comparison shows a substantial 26.21 percent growth.
Telecom operators reported strong financial indicators alongside user growth. Monthly Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) for wireless services rose 10.67 percent year-on-year in the July-September quarter, highlighting robust revenue performance driven by expanding subscriber bases and increased data consumption.
Overall, these figures underscore India’s emergence as one of the largest digital markets globally, with wireless broadband serving as the primary engine of growth. The continued expansion of network infrastructure, coupled with rising smartphone adoption and affordable data plans, is expected to sustain India’s leadership in broadband and internet services well into the next decade.
