The penetration of broadband internet, delivered over fiber optic cables, continues to expand and is rapidly growing in popularity following the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the number of wired broadband subscribers in India stood at 39.4 million as of February 29, 2024.
This number is 20% higher than February 2023. Overall, India’s broadband subscriber base increased from 392 million in February 2018 to 916 million in February 2024.
Due to the pandemic and the resulting digitalization boom, the subscriber base recorded annual growth of 16% in 2021, 19% in 2022 and 23% in 2023. Monthly growth rate from February (previous month) The growth rate from 2023 to February 2024 is 1, 3 to 1.7 percent, slightly below the monthly growth rate of 2.5 to 3 percent from 2022 to 2023.
Currently, the Internet is delivered through three modes: wired lines, mobile devices, and wireless spectrum. The Telecommunications Act of 2023 also allows allocation of spectrum for satellite-based services without participating in an auction, similar to how Airtel’s OneWeb and Elon Musk’s Starlink offer internet via satellite. It can be useful.
Despite strong recent growth, wired broadband penetration in India is only 10%, compared to 80-90% penetration in the US, China and European markets. With the proliferation of smartphones, 95% of the Indian population is now connected to the Internet via mobile devices.
According to TRAI data, Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, BSNL and Atria Convergence Technologies (ACT) are the top players in the wired broadband space. Industry think tank Broadband India Forum earlier this year considered cutting statutory fees and waiving GST on service revenue for fiber connections and Wi-Fi broadband deployment to help the industry meet growing demand.
Telecommunications companies are looking for fixed wireless access (FWA) bandwidth as an alternative to wired broadband, but haven’t found a taker. FWA uses devices that use radio frequencies to provide internet to homes and other establishments without the need for fiber optic cables. In terms of adoption, FWA accounted for less than 1% of all broadband subscribers as of February 29, and the segment declined 22% between February 2023 and 2024.
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.