New Delhi [India], December 18 : India's telecom sector remained a key driver of the country's digital transformation in 2025, with total subscribers touching 1.2 billion and teledensity rising to 86.76 per cent by November, according to a year-end review released by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).
Rapid 5G adoption, regulatory reforms and a renewed push for digital trust defined the year for the industry, it said.
Citing the Ericsson Mobility Report, COAI said, "Wireless broadband continued to dominate with 954.99 million users compared to 44.82 million wireline connections, supported by rapid 5G adoption that rose to 394 million subscriptions by the end of the year."
Network expansion was equally strong as India crossed 5.15 lakh 5G BTS sites, and average mobile data usage touched 36 GB per month, with a forecast of 65 GB by 2031. Fixed Wireless Access also grew steadily with subscribers rising to 13.18 million in October across both urban and rural markets.
Moreover, telecom exports from India have increased by 72% in the last 5 years, increasing to Rs. 18,406 crores in FY25, from Rs. 10,000 crores in FY21.
Lt. Gen. Dr SP Kochhar, Director General, COAI, in a year-ender note, said, "Cybersecurity and resilience emerged as major priorities in 2025, with telecom operators deploying AI-based fraud detection, cloud security solutions and analytics-driven systems to counter malicious calls and messages."
"These measures, coupled with rising domestic manufacturing and nearly 60 per cent import substitution in telecom products, have positioned India as an emerging exporter of 4G and 5G equipment," he added.
Further, COAI said the year marked significant regulatory developments as the sector aligned with the Telecommunications Act, 2023 and the proposed service authorisation framework.
While welcoming reforms, the industry reiterated the need for contractual certainty to safeguard long-term investments.
"Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has set an ambitious target for the sector to contribute 20 per cent to India's GDP in the next decade, a vision reflected in the draft National Telecom Policy," it added.
"The draft National Telecom Policy correctly identifies this strategic direction and we are engaged in a constructive dialogue with the Government to fine-tune the specifics, but the overall vision aligns with the industry. The policy must cement telecom's role as a national enabler, not just another vertical industry," it said.
The Government has also supported telecom operators with policies like the right of way (RoW), but still several authorities continue to charge exorbitant fees for laying network elements, the note added.
The Year-ender note further said that a major theme of 2025 was the fight against spam, scam calls and digital fraud.
"Operators implemented multiple measures under TRAI's regulations, including distributed ledger technology (DLT)-based registration, analytics-led spam detection and the rollout of the P/S/T/G suffix system for commercial SMS to improve consumer awareness. These steps led to a reduction in spam on traditional telecom channels," it said.
The year also saw active debate around captive private 5G networks and direct spectrum allocation to enterprises.
"The industry's position remains that India's extensive public mobile coverage makes the conventional justification for independent private networks largely inapplicable in most geographies and that enterprise 5G needs are best served through spectrum leasing and network slicing by licensed telecom operators," it added.