India’s telecom sector recorded one of its strongest years yet in 2025, with historic expansion in connectivity, digital infrastructure and indigenous technology development, according to the year-end review released by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) under the Ministry of Communications.

According to ANI, the review underlined that 2025 was a landmark year for the sector, driven by sharp growth in internet and mobile penetration, the near-complete rollout of 5G services across the country, and steady progress towards telecom self-reliance. The achievements, the DoT said, align closely with the government’s long-term vision of building a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047.

A major highlight of the year was the launch of the National Broadband Mission (NBM) 2.0 in January 2025. The mission aims to accelerate India’s digital transformation by extending high-speed broadband to villages, schools, health centres and other anchor institutions, ensuring deeper and more inclusive digital access nationwide.

India’s telecom footprint expanded rapidly over the year. Internet connections crossed the one-billion milestone, reaching over 100 crore users — nearly four times the level seen in 2014. Broadband subscriptions surged to nearly 100 crore, while average monthly data consumption per wireless subscriber climbed to 24 GB, placing India among the world’s highest data-consuming markets. Median mobile broadband speeds also saw a sharp rise, touching over 130 Mbps by October 2025.

The rollout of 5G emerged as one of the defining achievements of the year. As per the DoT review, 5G services are now available across all States and Union Territories, covering 99.9 per cent of districts and reaching around 85 per cent of the population. Telecom service providers have installed more than 5.08 lakh 5G Base Transceiver Stations across the country. Supporting this expansion, optical fibre cable length has more than doubled since 2019, significantly strengthening the backbone of India’s digital infrastructure.

Rural connectivity recorded particularly strong momentum. Rural telephone connections have increased by nearly 43 per cent since 2014, almost double the pace of urban growth, highlighting the sector’s role in narrowing the digital divide. Overall tele-density rose to 86.65 per cent by September 2025.

Another major milestone cited in the review was India becoming only the fifth country globally to develop its own indigenous 4G technology stack. Developed through a collaboration between C-DOT, Tejas Networks and TCS, and deployed by BSNL, the fully software-driven network is designed to be seamlessly upgradable to 5G. The DoT also noted steady progress under the Bharat 6G Mission, positioning India as an active contributor to future global telecom standards.

Citizen-centric reforms and cyber security initiatives featured prominently during the year. The Sanchar Saathi portal and mobile app gained wide traction by helping users trace and block fraudulent connections and recover stolen devices. The mobile app, available in Hindi, English and 21 regional languages, crossed 1.5 crore downloads, while the portal recorded nearly 22 crore visits during the year.

The newly introduced Financial Fraud Risk Indicator (FRI), now integrated with banking systems, helped prevent financial losses of around Rs.450 crore by flagging over 70 lakh suspicious transactions, the review said.

The DoT also played a key role in ensuring resilient communications during natural disasters and security situations across several states. Indigenous cell broadcasting technology was successfully deployed to deliver real-time alerts during cyclones, marking a significant advancement in public warning systems.

On the manufacturing front, the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for telecom equipment delivered strong outcomes, with cumulative sales exceeding Rs.96,000 crore and exports crossing Rs.19,000 crore. Taken together, the developments outlined in the year-end review underline India’s transition from being largely a telecom consumer to emerging as a global digital and innovation leader, the DoT said.