New Delhi

India’s telecom sector closed 2025 on a strong note, consolidating its role as a key pillar of the digital economy, driven by rapid 5G rollout, rising data consumption, growing domestic manufacturing and a sharper focus on network resilience and security.

Industry data shows India’s total telecom subscriber base reached around 1.2 billion by November 2025, with teledensity rising to 86.76 per cent. Wireless broadband dominated with nearly 955 million users, while 5G adoption accelerated to about 394 million subscriptions by year-end. The country crossed 5.15 lakh 5G base transceiver stations, pushing average monthly data consumption to around 36 GB per user.

HFCL Managing Director Mahendra Nahata said the sector has reached a “critical threshold” where capacity and deployment speed determine competitiveness, adding that fibreisation has become essential for network quality amid surging data demand.

Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) also saw steady growth, with subscribers crossing 13 million, supporting faster broadband penetration in urban and rural areas.

Industry leaders highlighted a shift from network expansion to performance, resilience and intelligence, backed by AI-led automation and cloud-based architectures. The sector also benefited from Make-in-India and PLI schemes, achieving nearly 60 per cent import substitution and telecom exports worth Rs 18,406 crore in FY25.

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Looking ahead to 2026, the industry expects sustained investments in networks, AI-driven innovation and policy reforms, with innovation and trust emerging as key drivers of competitiveness.