Number of wireless subscriptions across India 2010-2024

There were over

billion wireless mobile subscriptions across India at the end of December 2024. That year, a majority of the traffic was from 4G data payload. Reliance Jio was the leading service provider, followed by Bharti Airtel.

Mobile communications in India

With a subscriber base of over

billion, the Indian telecommunication sector was the second largest in the world. The smartphone market is spoilt for choice with a range of models in every price category. Digitization of processes and increased social media influence has made smartphones an integral part of daily routines. Indians ranked second for daily mobile internet usage across Asia Pacific.

Road ahead

The Indian mobile phone industry has experienced significant growth in the past decade, and India has become the second-largest smartphone market in the world. However, India’s smartphone penetration rate is still relatively low compared to other markets across the globe. Demand for smartphones is likely to grow further in the future, as a significant portion of the population either does not own a phone or plans to switch from a feature phone to a smartphone.