List Of Telecom Companies In India
There are 4 pay-for-use DTH service providers and one free-to-air service provider (DD Free Dish) in India.
This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: MTNL is yet not merged with BSNL, update accordingly TRAI's telecom subscription report. (October 2022) |
Direct-to-home (DTH) operators
As of 30 September 2023, there are 64.18 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). DD Free Dish has over 4 crore (40 million) subscribers.
Market share of pay DTH operators in India as of 30 September 2023 according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
| Operator | Market share | Ownership |
|---|---|---|
| Tata Play | 32.43% | Tata Group (70%) Walt Disney (30%) |
| Airtel Digital TV | 27.01% | Bharti Airtel (100%) |
| 21.54% | Publicly Owned | |
| Sun Direct | 19.02% | 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.
- On 22 March 2018, Dish TV merged with d2h, creating the then-largest DTH service provider in India.
Multiple-system operators (MSOs)
As of 30 September 2023, there are 995 MSOs (some also have an ISP license).
List of top MSOs by subscribers
| Operator | Total Active Subscriber Base (in million) |
|---|---|
| GTPL Hathway Ltd | 9,011,425 |
| Siti Networks Ltd | 5,775,169 |
| Hathway Digital Ltd | 5,385,246 |
| Thamizhaga Cable TV Communication Pvt Ltd. (TCCL) | 3,821,799 |
| Den Networks Ltd | 3,816,171 |
| Kerala Communicators Cable Ltd (KCCL) | 3,314,769 |
| NXT Digital Ltd (HITS) | 2,263,930 |
| KAL Cables | 2,031,754 |
| V K Digital Network Pvt. Ltd | 1,677,702 |
| Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation Ltd (TACTV) | 1,602,780 |
| Fastway Transmissions Pvt Ltd | 1,564,564 |
| NXT Digital Ltd (CATV) | 1,122,783 |
Wireless operators
As of 31 December 2023, there are 1.158 billion wireless subscribers in India (including inactive users) according to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
Market share of Wireless Mobile operators in India as of 31 December 2023 according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
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.
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.
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.
Active operators
| Operator (Estd.) | Brands | Total Subscribers (million) | Active Subscribers (million) | Technologies | Ownership | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airtel India (1995) | Airtel (stylised as 'airtel') | 381.73 | 377.54 | 5G, 4G, 2G | Bharti Enterprises (66.57) Telenor (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%. Subscriber count and active users include Bharti Hexacom. |
| BSNL (2000) | CellOne BSNL Mobile | 91.96 | 48.64 | 4G(limited testing), 3G, 2G | Government of India (100%) | BSNL does not directly operate in Delhi and Mumbai. |
| MTNL (1986) | Dolphin MTNL Delhi Trump, MTNL Mumbai | 1.94 | 0.50 | 3G, 2G | Government of India (100%) | MTNL only operates in Delhi and Mumbai. MTNL is in the process of being merged with BSNL. The merger is expected to be completed by 2025. Since January 2021, the operations of MTNL's networks have been outsourced to BSNL. |
| Reliance Jio (2016) | Jio | 459.81 | 424.51 | 5G, 4G | Jio Platforms Limited (100%) | Not to be confused with Reliance Communications. |
| Vodafone Idea Limited (2018) | Vi (stylised as 'V!') | 223.05 | 196.68 | 4G, 2G | 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'. |
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 - which was also the first mobile operator in the country. Most recently, Reliance Communications ceased operations citing bankruptcy.
| Operator | Started operations | Ceased operations | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modi-Telstra | 1990 | Merged into Axiata Spice Communications | |
| Escotel | 1996 | Merged into Idea Cellular | |
| Hutch Essar | 1999 | Acquired by Vodafone to form Vodafone India | |
| Axiata Spice Communications | 1992 | Merged into Idea Cellular | |
| S Tel | 2012 | Licence cancelled by the Supreme Court of India | |
| Etisalat | 2010 | 2012 | Licence cancelled by the Supreme Court of India |
| BPL Mobile (Loop Mobile) | 1995 | 2014 | Ceased operations after expiration of licence |
| Virgin Mobile India / T24 Mobile | 2009 | 2015 | Merged into Tata Docomo |
| Singtel India | 2009 | 2017 | Acquired by Reliance Communications |
| Videocon Telecom | 2010 | 2016 | Shut down following sale of spectrum to Bharti Airtel |
| MTS India | 2009 | 2017 | Acquired by Reliance Communications |
| Aircel | 1999 | 2018 | Bankrupt |
| Telenor India | 2006 | 2018 | Acquired by Bharti Airtel |
| Idea Cellular | 2002 | 2018 | Merged with Vodafone India to form Vi |
| Vodafone India | 2011 | 2018 | Merged with Idea Cellular to form Vi |
| Tata Docomo | 2009 | 2019 | Acquired by Bharti Airtel |
| Reliance Communications | 2004 | 2019 | Closed By Reliance To Form Jio |
Wireline operators
Fixed-line operators
As of 31 December 2023, there are 31.84 million wireline subscribers in India according to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
Market share of fixed-line telecom operators in India as of 30 June 2023 according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
| Operator | Subscribers (lakh) | Ownership |
|---|---|---|
| Jio | 91.2 | Jio Platforms |
| Airtel | 71.5 | Bharti Airtel |
| BSNL | 71.1 | Government of India |
| MTNL | 23.1 | Government of India |
| Tata Teleservices | 15.4 | Tata Group |
| Vi | 7.0 | Vodafone Idea Limited |
| Quadrant | 3.4 | |
| Reliance Communications | 1.5 | Reliance ADAG |
Internet service providers (ISPs)
Internet service providers (ISPs) offering broadband (wired + wireless) services. The total number of broadband subscribers stood at 904.54 million as of 31 December 2023. Total Wireless broadband subscribers stood at 866.19 million and Wireline broadband subscribers stood at 38.35 million. The top 5 services constituted 98.35% market share of the total broadband subscribers according to TRAI. These service providers were:
| Operator | Subscribers (million) | Ownership |
|---|---|---|
| Jio | 470.19 | Jio Platforms |
| Airtel | 264.76 | Bharti Airtel |
| Vi | 127.29 | Vodafone Idea Limited |
| BSNL | 25.12 | Government of India |
| ACT | 2.23 | Atria Convergence |
The following table shows the top 5 wired broadband service providers in India by total subscriber base as of 31 December 2023.
| Provider | Subscribers (million) | Ownership |
|---|---|---|
| Jio | 10.38 | Jio Platforms |
| Airtel | 7.39 | Bharti Airtel |
| BSNL | 3.83 | Government of India |
| ACT | 2.23 | Atria Convergence |
| OneOTT Intertainment | 1.21 | Hinduja Group |
The following table shows the top 5 wireless broadband service providers in India by total subscriber base as of 31 December 2023.
| Provider | Subscribers (million) | Ownership |
|---|---|---|
| Jio | 459.81 | Jio Platforms |
| Airtel | 257.37 | Bharti Airtel |
| Vi | 127.28 | Vodafone Idea Limited |
| BSNL | 21.28 | Government of India |
| Intech Online | 0.24 |
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 |
| Hathway | 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
| Name | Headquarters | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Beetel | Gurgaon | Private |
| C-DOT | New Delhi | State-owned enterprise |
| HFCL | New Delhi | Private |
| Sasken Technologies | Bangalore | Private |
| Sterlite Technologies | Pune | Private |
| Tejas Networks | Bangalore | Private |
| United Telecoms Limited | Bangalore | State-owned enterprise |
See also
Notes
References
External links
- ISP market share grouped by ASNs used (APNIC report)
- List of ASNs assigned to India
- List of Telecom Service Providers on TRAI website
- Department of Telecommunications, Government of India
- Updates on telecom
- Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
- Cellular Operators Association of India
- List of Telecom Service Providers on TRAI website
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