India’s 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) market continued to expand in the September quarter of 2025, driven by rising demand for high speed wireless broadband across both urban and rural regions. Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio reported a combined 9.40 million 5G FWA subscribers at the end of September 2025, up from 7.85 million at the end of June 2025.
Jio Dominates 5G FWA with More Than 75 Percent Market Share
Reliance Jio maintained a strong lead in the 5G FWA segment with a 75.33 percent market share, while Bharti Airtel held 24.67 percent. The rapid expansion reflects operators’ increasing focus on home and enterprise broadband through wireless networks, particularly in areas where fiber penetration remains limited, TRAI said in its report on the Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicators for July-September 2025.
Urban India Accounts for 58.85 Percent of Total 5G FWA Subscribers
India had 5.53 million 5G FWA subscribers in urban areas and 3.87 million in rural regions as of September 2025. Urban areas accounted for 58.85 percent of total 5G FWA subscribers, while rural regions contributed 41.15 percent. The rural share highlights growing adoption of wireless broadband in underserved markets.
Wireless Data Usage Jumps 6.28 Percent in Q3 2025
Total wireless data consumption grew from 65,009 PB in the June quarter to 69,090 PB in the September quarter, marking a 6.28 percent rise.
Breakdown of wireless data usage in Q.E. September 2025:
2G: 51 PB (0.07 percent)
3G: 114 PB (0.17 percent)
4G: 44,861 PB (64.93 percent)
5G: 24,064 PB (34.83 percent)
4G remains the largest contributor to wireless data traffic, but 5G usage continues to scale rapidly as operators expand coverage and device penetration increases.
Wireless and Broadband Subscriber Base Expands
The total number of wireless data subscribers rose from 949.93 million in June 2025 to 961.08 million in September 2025.
India’s total broadband subscriber base grew to 995.63 million, compared to 979.71 million in the previous quarter. This includes:
Wired broadband subscribers: 44.40 million
Wireless broadband subscribers: 951.23 million
Wireless broadband continues to dominate India’s connectivity landscape.
ARPU Continues Upward Trend Driven by Data Usage and Upgrades
Monthly Average Revenue per User (ARPU) for wireless services increased 2.34 percent, rising from Rs.186.62 in Q.E. June 2025 to Rs.190.99 in Q.E. September 2025. On a year-over-year basis, ARPU grew 10.67 percent.
Pre-paid and post-paid ARPU for Q.E. September 2025:
Pre-paid ARPU: Rs.189.69
Post-paid ARPU: Rs.204.55
The share of the pre-paid segment saw a marginal dip, moving from 91.11 percent to 91.09 percent during the quarter.
Private Operators Outperform State-run Telecoms in ARPU Growth
Blended ARPU increased by 2.34 percent during the quarter.
Segment-wise performance:
Private operators (Airtel, Jio, Vodafone Idea): ARPU rose 2.03 percent, from Rs.196.21 to Rs.200.20
State-run operators (BSNL, MTNL): ARPU surged 11.80 percent, from Rs.73.57 to Rs.82.25
The substantial ARPU increase for BSNL and MTNL reflects improving uptake of newer data plans and gradual modernization of their subscriber base.
Baburajan Kizhakedath