Direct-to-home (DTH) operators

There are 4 pay-for-use DTH service providers and one free-to-air service provider (DD Free Dish) in India.[1]

As of 31 March 2023, there are 6.525 crore (65.25 million) active paying DTH subscribers, in addition to the subscribers of state-owned DD Free Dish, in the country according to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).[1] DD Free Dish has over 4 crore (40 million) subscribers.[1]

Market share of pay DTH operators in India as of 31 March 2023 according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

  Tata Play (32.65%)
  Airtel digital TV (26.77%)
  Dish TV (21.78%)
  Sun Direct (18.81%)
Operator Market Share Ownership
Tata Play 32.65%[1] Tata Group (70%)
Walt Disney (30%)
Airtel Digital TV 26.77%[1] Bharti Airtel (100%)

Dish TV

 21.78%[1] Publicly Owned
Sun Direct 18.81%[1] Sun TV Network (80%)
Astro Group (20%)
DD Free Dish Government of India

Notes

  • DD free dish is a free-to-air service hence their subscriber data is not shown in the TRAI performance report.[1]
  • On 22 March 2018, Dish TV merged with d2h, creating the then-largest DTH service provider in India.[2]

Multiple-system operators (MSOs)

As of 31 March 2023, there are 1748 MSOs (some also have an ISP license).[1]

List of top MSOs by subscribers

Operator Total Active Subscriber Base[1]

(in lakhs)

GTPL Hathway Ltd 90.39
Siti Networks Ltd 66.02
Hathway Digital Ltd 55.45
Den Networks Ltd 41.57
Thamizhaga Cable TV Communication Pvt

Ltd. (TCCL)

 39.35
Kerala Communicators Cable Ltd (KCCL) 32.26
NXT Digital Ltd (HITS) 23.80
KAL Cables 21.19
Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation

Ltd (TACTV)

 18.70
V K Digital Network Pvt. Ltd 17.95
Fastway Transmissions Pvt Ltd 17.51
NXT Digital Ltd (CATV) 11.92
Asianet Digital Network Pvt. Ltd 10.50

Wireless operators

As of 31 August 2023, there are 114.8 crore (1.148 billion) wireless subscribers in India (including inactive users) according to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).[3]

  Reliance Jio (38.81%)
  Bharti Airtel (32.78%)
  Vodafone Idea (19.88%)
  BSNL (8.36%)
  MTNL (0.17%)

Mobile operators

Over the past decade, the Indian cellular services market has seen rapid consolidation. The launch of Jio Platforms in 2016 changed the market dynamics substantially as the company offered free data and voice services during its first year of operations, prompting a fierce price war in the market. Jio managed to garner over 10 crore (100 million) subscribers in its first 6 months of operations.[4][5][6]

As a result, the number of operators in the Indian cellular market have substantially reduced over the past decade. At its peak, the market had as many as 12 active mobile operators.[4]

In 2018, Airtel India lost its market leadership position for the first time in 15 years as a result of the completion of a merger between then telecom giants Vodafone India and Idea Cellular.[7]

Active operators

List of active mobile operators in the country (as on 31 May 2023)
Operator

(Estd.)

 Brands Subscribers Active Users Technologies Ownership Notes
Airtel India (1995) Airtel (stylised as 'airtel') 37.64 Cr[3] 37.54 Cr[3] 5G, 4G, 2G[8][9] Bharti Enterprises (66.57)

Singtel (32.15)

Google (1.28%)

 The 'airtel' brand is operated by Bharti Hexacom Limited in Rajasthan and North-East India. Bharti Airtel owns 70% of Bharti Hexacom, while TCIL (Government of India) owns the remaining 30%.[10]

Subscriber count and active users include Bharti Hexacom.

BSNL (2000) CellOne[11]

BSNL Mobile

 9.58 Cr[3] 5.05 Cr[3] 4G,[12] 3G, 2G[13] Government of India (100%) BSNL does not directly operate in Delhi and Mumbai.[14]
MTNL (1986) Dolphin[15]

MTNL Delhi[16]

Trump[16]

MTNL Mumbai[17]

 1.95 Cr[3] 0.70 Cr[3] 3G, 2G[18] Government of India (100%) MTNL only operates in Delhi and Mumbai.[19] MTNL is in the process of being merged with BSNL. The merger is expected to be completed by 2025.[20] Since January 2021, the operations of MTNL's networks have been outsourced to BSNL.[21]
Jio (2016) Jio 44.57 Cr[3] 41.70 Cr[3] 5G, 4G[22] Jio Platforms Limited (100%) Not to be confused with Reliance Communications.
Vodafone Idea Limited (2018) Vi (stylised as 'V!') 22.82 Cr[3] 19.93 Cr[3] 4G, 3G, 2G[23] Government of India (32.09%)
Vodafone India (31.27%)
Idea Cellular (17.49%)
Private Equity (15.97%)

American Tower Corporation (3.18%)

 In February 2023, the Government of India converted ₹16,133 crore (~US$1.9 billion) debt owed to it by the operator into equity, after the company opted for the option given to it under a 'telecom reforms package'.[24]

Defunct operators

As of 31 December 2022, 16 mobile operators have ceased operations in India. The longest operating defunct operator is Aircel, while the oldest is Modi-Telstra[25] - which was also the first mobile operator in the country.[26] Most recently, Reliance Communications ceased operations citing bankruptcy.[27]

List of notable mobile operators that provided services in the country (as on 31 December 2022)
Operator Started Operations Ceased Operations Fate
Modi-Telstra[25] 1990 Merged into Axiata Spice Communications[28]
Escotel 1996 Merged into Idea Cellular[29]
Hutch Essar 1999 Acquired by Vodafone to form Vodafone India
Axiata Spice Communications 1992 Merged into Idea Cellular[30]
S Tel 2012 Licence cancelled by the Supreme Court of India
Etisalat 2010[31] 2012 Licence cancelled by the Supreme Court of India[32]
BPL Mobile (Loop Mobile) 1995 Ceased operations after expiration of licence[33]
Virgin Mobile India / T24 Mobile 2009[34] 2015 Merged into Tata Docomo [35]
Videocon Telecom 2010[36] 2016 Shut down following sale of spectrum to Bharti Airtel[37][38]
MTS India 2009 2017 Acquired by Reliance Communications[39]
Aircel 1999 2018 Bankrupt[40]
Telenor India 2006 2018 Acquired by Bharti Airtel[41]
Idea Cellular 2002 2018 Merged with Vodafone India to form Vi[42][43]
Vodafone India 2011 2018 Merged with Idea Cellular to form Vi[42][43]
Tata Docomo 2009 2019 Acquired by Bharti Airtel[44]
Reliance Communications 2004 2019 Bankrupt[27]

Wireline operators

Fixed-line operators

As of 30 June 2023, there are 3.031 crore (30.31 million) wireline subscribers in India according to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).[45]

Market share of fixed-line telecom operators in India as of 30 June 2023 according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. [46]

  Jio (32.83%)
  Airtel (24.78%)
  BSNL (21.36%)
  MTNL (7.51%)
  Tata Teleservices (7.42%)
  Vi (2.25%)
  APFPL (2.17%)
  Quadrant (1.18%)
  RCom (0.46%)
  V-CON (0.04%)
OperatorSubscribers[1] (lakh)Ownership
Jio91.2Jio Platforms
Airtel71.5Bharti Airtel
BSNL71.1Government of India
MTNL23.1Government of India
Tata Teleservices15.4Tata Group
Vi7.0Vodafone Idea Limited
Quadrant3.4
Reliance Communications1.5Reliance ADAG

Internet service providers (ISPs)

As of 30 June 2023, there were 1040[45] internet service providers (ISPs) offering broadband (wired + wireless) services. The total number of broadband subscribers stood at 86.147 crores. The top 5 services constituted 98.37% market share of the total broadband subscribers according to TRAI.[45] These service providers were :

Market share of broadband (wired + wireless) services in India as of 30 June 2023 according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).[46]

  Jio (51.98%)
  Airtel (28.79%)
  Vi (14.5%)
  BSNL (2.85%)
  ACT (0.25%)
  Others (1.63%)
OperatorSubscribers[45] (crores)Ownership
Jio44.775Jio Platforms
Airtel24.806Bharti Airtel
Vi12.490Vodafone Idea Limited
BSNL2.459Government of India
ACT0.216Atria Convergence

The following table shows the top 5 wired broadband service providers in India by total subscriber base as of 30 June 2023.

Provider Subscribers[45]

(lakh)

 Ownership
Jio 91.7 Jio Platforms
Airtel 65.4 Bharti Airtel
BSNL 36.6 Government of India
ACT 21.6 Atria Convergence
Hathway 11.2 Reliance Industries

The following table shows the top 5 wireless broadband service providers in India by total subscriber base as of 30 June 2023.

Provider Subscribers[45]

(crores)

 Ownership
Jio 43.858 Jio Platforms
Airtel 24.152 Bharti Airtel
Vi[Note2 1][47][48] 12.489[Note2 1] Vodafone Idea Limited
BSNL[Note1 1][49] 2.093

[Note2 2][49]

 Government of India
Intech Online 0.024

Notes

  • Broadband: Internet access with a minimum capacity of greater or equal 2 Mbit/s in download and not in both directions.
  • Narrowband: Internet access with a capacity of less than 2 Mbit/s one or both directions.

Other notable ISPs

Provider Ownership
APSFL Government of Andhra Pradesh
Asianet Broadband Rajan Raheja Group
DEN Networks Reliance Industries
RailTel Government of India
Sify Sify Group
Tata Communications Tata Group
Tata Play Tata Group (70%)
The Walt Disney Company India (30%)

For enterprise/wholesale only

Provider Ownership
CtrlS Datacenters Ltd CtrlS Labs Limited
ERNET Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
GAILTEL Government of India
National Knowledge Network
(for educational institutions only)		 Government of India
PowerGrid Government of India
Tulip Telecom Tulip Enterprises

Telecom R&D firms

NameHeadquartersType
Beetel Gurgaon Private
C-DOT New Delhi State-owned enterprise
HFCL New Delhi Private
Sasken TechnologiesBangalorePrivate
Sterlite TechnologiesPunePrivate
Tejas NetworksBangalorePrivate
United Telecoms LimitedBangaloreState-owned enterprise

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ BSNL and MTNL merger approved by Government of India.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "The Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicators, January - March, 2023" (PDF). trai.com.
  2. ↑ "Dish TV India, Videocon d2h merger completed". The Economic Times. 22 March 2018. Archived from the original on 12 April 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Highlights of Telecom Subscription Data as on 31st December, 2022" (PDF). TELECOM REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF INDIA.
  4. 1 2 www.ETTelecom.com. "Resilience, re-consolidation and reality of the telecom sector in India - Tele-Talk by Sonam Chandwani | ET Telecom". ETTelecom.com. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  5. ↑ "Reliance Jio crosses 100 million users within 6 months". The Times of India. 22 February 2017. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  6. ↑ "How Asia's richest man won the mobile data price war in India". Rest of World. 15 July 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  7. ↑ Natrajkumar, Nandita (31 August 2018). "Airtel to lose position as top telecom firm in India after 15 years; what is its future?". www.ibtimes.co.in. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  8. ↑ "Airtel is shutting down 3G services across India: 15 things that subscribers need to know". Gadgets Now. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  9. ↑ "Airtel 5G Plus launched today". www.airtel.in. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  10. ↑ "Bharti Hexacom". Bharti Hexacom.
  11. ↑ "PIB Press Releases". archive.pib.gov.in. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  12. ↑ "BSNL Launches 4G beta services".
  13. ↑ www.ETTelecom.com. "BSNL approves 2G, 3G network upgrade contract to ZTE, Nokia for fastest 4G rollout - ET Telecom". ETTelecom.com. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  14. ↑ "BSNL customers can activate Vi roaming network in Delhi and NCR, here is how". India Today. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  15. ↑ "Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd". Business Standard India. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  16. 1 2 "MTNL Delhi". mtnldelhi.in. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  17. ↑ "ABOUT - MTNL MUMBAI".
  18. ↑ "MTNL Delhi". mtnldelhi.in. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  19. ↑ "MTNL: Reports, Company History, Directors Report, Chairman's Speech, Auditors Report of MTNL - NDTV". www.ndtv.com. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  20. ↑ "Govt starts process to delist MTNL for merger with BSNL". MSN. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  21. ↑ Thakur, Tanay Singh. "BSNL to Operate Mobile Network of MTNL in Delhi and Mumbai Circle". telecomtalk.info/. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  22. ↑ "Reliance Jio 4G: 5 things to know before you get Jio SIM". India Today. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  23. ↑ Kaur, Gagandeep. "India's Vodafone Idea to shut down 3G network". Light Reading.
  24. ↑ Gupta, Aneesh Phadnis, Abhijit Lele & Surajeet Das (3 February 2023). "Govt gets 33% stake in Vodafone Idea, promoters to invest as well". www.business-standard.com. Retrieved 9 March 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  25. 1 2 "25 years of Mobility in India: The first mobile phone call was made on this day". HT Tech. 31 July 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  26. ↑ "25 Years Ago, the First Mobile Phone Call Was Made in India, Costing Over Rs 8/Minute". News18. 31 July 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  27. 1 2 "Tribunal Admits Anil Ambani's Reliance Communications For Bankruptcy". NDTV.com. 10 May 2019. Archived from the original on 18 May 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  28. ↑ "Modi To Merge With Telstra And Spice". TelecomPaper. 22 June 2000. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  29. ↑ "Idea acquires Escotel, largest deal in Indian telecom sector". Zee News. 15 January 2004. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  30. ↑ Parbat, Kalyan (2 November 2009). "Idea-Spice merger may ring in gains for Malaysian ally". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 9 September 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  31. ↑ Ramesh, Niranjana; Venkataraman, Hemamalini (24 June 2009). "Etisalat enters India, sets up back office at Ambattur in North Chennai". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 9 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  32. ↑ "Etisalat to shut India operations". The Times of India. 23 February 2012. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  33. ↑ "TRAI Directs Loop Mobile To Inform Subscribers of Its Closure". TelecomTalk. 2 October 2020. Archived from the original on 18 May 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  34. ↑ "VIRGIN MOBILE READY TO LAUNCH GSM SERVICE IN INDIA". TelecomTalk. 15 April 2009. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  35. ↑ "Exclusive: Virgin Mobile will be merged into the parent operator Tata Docomo with effect from March 27". TelecomTalk. 26 March 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  36. ↑ Bafna, Sanjay (7 March 2010). "Videocon To Launch GSM Mobile Services in 100 Cities in 100 Days". TelecomTalk. Archived from the original on 3 May 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  37. ↑ Varma (4 May 2016). "Videocon Telecom to shut down Mobile Services on 11th May 2016". DataReign. Archived from the original on 18 May 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  38. ↑ Bafna, Sanjay (3 January 2013). "Videocon To Shut Down GSM Operations in 11 Circles Including Mumbai, Asks Customers To Port Out Before 18 January". TelecomTalk. Archived from the original on 7 June 2019. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  39. ↑ "Reliance Communication gets Bombay HC approval for Sistema acquisition". The Economic Times. 8 October 2016. Archived from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  40. ↑ Pandey, Piyush (28 February 2018). "Aircel files for bankruptcy". The Hindu. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  41. ↑ Philipose, Mobis (13 October 2017). "Tata Tele deal: How Airtel is getting a billion-dollar business for free". LiveMint. Archived from the original on 18 May 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  42. 1 2 Parbat, Kalyan; Sengupta, Devina (31 August 2018). "NCLT gives go-ahead to Idea-Vodafone merger". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  43. 1 2 Pandey, Navadha (12 January 2018). "NCLT approves Idea-Vodafone merger". LiveMint. Archived from the original on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  44. ↑ "Airtel completes Tata merger". Business Line. 5 June 2019. Archived from the original on 9 September 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  45. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Telecom Subscription Data as on 30th June, 2023" (PDF).
  46. 1 2 "Telecom Subscription Data as on 30 Jun 2023" (PDF). Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.
  47. ↑ "About us". You Broadband Limited. 29 June 2019.
  48. ↑ "Home Broadband". Digital Network Associates Pvt. Ltd. 26 November 2021.
  49. 1 2 "MTNL to be act as BSNL subsidiary Till Merger Complete". The Hindu. 29 June 2019.
 updates on telecom
  1. 1 2 After adding subscribers of You Broadband Because it is subsidiary of Vi.
  2. ↑ After adding subscribers of MTNL to BSNL, because MTNL will merge with BSNL.
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