The Indian telecom sector witnessed stable financial performance with marginal subscriber decline in the quarter ending December 31, 2024, according to the “Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicator Report” released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Thursday.
As per the report, the total number of internet subscribers in the country stood at 970.16 million at the end of December, registering a slight dip from 971.50 million in the previous quarter—a decline of 0.14%. Of these, 928.96 million were wireless internet users, while 41.21 million were wired subscribers. Despite the overall fall in internet subscribers, the broadband segment continued to grow, reaching 944.96 million users, up by 0.06% from the previous quarter. Narrowband subscribers, however, dropped to 25.20 million.
The report showed strong growth in wireline connections, which rose by 6.32% over the previous quarter to 39.27 million. This represents a year-on-year growth of 23.32%. Wireline tele-density also increased from 2.63% in September 2024 to 2.79% by December.
The sector’s revenue indicators demonstrated a steady upward trajectory. Gross Revenue (GR) for the quarter stood at ₹96,390 crore, while the Applicable Gross Revenue (ApGR) and Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) were ₹92,342 crore and ₹77,934 crore respectively. These figures reflect quarterly increases of 5.43%, 4.65%, and 3.48%, respectively. Compared to the same quarter the previous year, GR, ApGR, and AGR grew by 14.07%, 13.86%, and 14.89%.
The Monthly Average Revenue per User (ARPU) for wireless services also saw a rise, increasing by 5.34% to ₹181.80 from ₹172.57 in the previous quarter. Prepaid ARPU was reported at ₹180.91 and postpaid at ₹191.51. Meanwhile, the average Minutes of Usage (MOU) per subscriber per month rose by 3.62%, reaching 1,009 minutes.
Access services remained the largest contributor to AGR, accounting for 84.35% of the sector’s total. Within this category, the revenue indicators—Gross Revenue, ApGR, and AGR—along with License Fee, Spectrum Usage Charges (SUC), and Pass-Through Charges, all posted quarter-on-quarter increases, ranging from 4.28% to 5.96%. The License Fee collected during the quarter stood at ₹6,234 crore, up 3.50% from the previous quarter and 14.75% higher year-on-year. Pass-Through Charges rose by 11.48% quarter-on-quarter to ₹14,410 crore, reflecting a 7.12% increase compared to the same period last year.
On the subscriber front, the total number of telephone connections in the country saw a marginal fall to 1,189.92 million, down from 1,190.66 million in September 2024. Consequently, overall tele-density declined slightly from 84.69% to 84.45%.
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