Sector Snapshot · Telecom - Services

India's Telecom Network Keeps Expanding Its Reach

A fast-read primer on India's telecom services sector — the backdrop against which we benchmark every company's cost structure in this category.

1,321.31 mn

Total telephone subscribers, Feb 2026

World's second-largest telecom network

92.66%

Tele-density, Feb 2026

400 mn+

5G subscribers by end-2025 (2nd-largest 5G market)

1,028.61 mn

Internet subscribers, Dec 2025

Internet Subscribers and Urban Reach Keep Climbing

Internet adoption keeps rising, with urban subscriptions still well ahead of rural.

Internet Subscribers (million)

Sep 2025 → Dec 2025

1,017.81mn

Sep 2025

1,028.61mn

Dec 2025

Telephone Subscriptions by Geography (million)

Feb 2026

773.66mn

Urban

547.65mn

Rural

What's Pushing the Sector Forward

Massive scale, 5G leadership, and strong policy support define India's telecom services sector.

Massive Scale

2nd-largest telecom network and 2nd-highest internet user base globally

5G Leadership

400 million+ 5G subscribers, the world's 2nd-largest 5G market

Policy Support

100% FDI under the automatic route
Rs73,990cr DoT allocation for FY27

Recent Developments

A sample of the industry-wide and policy moves shaping the sector through early 2026.

→ India's overall tele-density rose to 92.66% by end-February 2026, from 92.22% in January.
→ Total telephone subscribers reached 1,321.31 million at the end of February 2026.
→ India had 400 million+ 5G subscribers by end-2025, the world's second-largest 5G market.
→ 5G services are now available in 99.9% of districts nationwide, with 5.23 lakh 5G BTS installed as of February 2026.
→ India's satellite communications (SATCOM) sector is set to double, with three licenses already issued.
→ The government allocated Rs73,990 crore to the Department of Telecommunications for FY27, up 39% from FY26 revised estimates.

Companies We Benchmark in This Sector

Listed Indian Telecom - Services companies in tDoBe's cost-benchmarking coverage.

Bharti Airtel

Vodafone Idea

Indus Towers

Bharti Hexacom

Altius Telecom Infra Trust

Tata Communications

HFCL

Railtel Corporation

Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra)

Route Mobile

Bondada Engineering

MTNL

GTL Infrastructure

STL Networks

Suyog Telematics

Sar Televenture

Reliance Communications

GTL

See How These Companies Compare on Cost

The numbers above set the stage. Our Report translates it into a company-by-company cost benchmark — down to the category — so you can see exactly where a business sits against its peers.

Explore the Telecom - Services Report