Gurugram / Srinagar, Thursday, October 30, 2025: India had 9.4 million 5G FWA subscribers as of September end 2025.  This means 0.94% of the total broadband subscribers are served through 5G FWA in India.  At the same time, 0.99% of wireless broadband subscribers in India are connected using 5G FWA.  Today, the number of 5G FWA subscribers in India is equivalent to 21.17% of the wired broadband subscribers. Techarc estimates that the total number of 5G FWA subscribers by the year end (Dec 2025) should cross 11 million.  This translates into 50 million plus users accessing broadband internet in India through 5G FWA.

In 2 years, since Aug-Sep of 2023, when both the leading private telecom operators Airtel and Jio had started 5G FWA, it has become the fastest growing broadband service by subscriber addition.  Over the period, while fixed broadband subscribers have grown by 1.2 times, cellular broadband subscribers have grown by 1.1 times, 5G FWA subscribers have grown over 950 times, with less than 0.5 million subscribers in September 2023 to 9.4 million as of September end 2025.

• Key Takeaways

• A balanced growth in urban and rural India: FWA is adding over 1.5 million subs per quarter with a balanced growth in urban as well as rural India.  This is helping fast adoption of broadband internet across cities, towns and villages where in some cities, consumers are using 5G FWA as an addon broadband service, while in villages and smaller towns, consumers are using this medium for quick  connect to the highspeed internet.​​
• Jio leads decisively on scale while airtel is accelerating: Jio has more than 75% of the 5G FWA market share while Airtel grew faster at 8.4% month-on-month in September 2025.  Jio grew 4.8% by subscribers over same period.​​ Jio had maximum subscribers for 5G FWA in Andhra Pradesh at 0.59 million, while airtel led in Tamil Nadu with 0.28 million subscribers. Jio had 73.5% share in Andhra Pradesh, while airtel had 45.6% market share in Tamil Nadu.
• Distinct value plays are clear: Jio anchors on the lowest FWA entry and deep TV bundling (800+ channels) with OTT upsell, while Airtel differentiates with broader OTT aggregation and consistent 100 Mbps tiers—giving consumers clear, segmented choices by household need and content preference.

• Competitive positioning: plans and value

Jio AirFiber (FWA): Rs 599 (30 Mbps) entry with ~800 TV channels and 11 OTT apps; ladders to Rs 899 (100 Mbps), Rs 1499 (300 Mbps), Rs 3999 (1 Gbps); Netflix/Amazon Prime feature from Rs 1199+ tiers; installation/CPE often free.​

Jio Fiber (wireline): Rs 399 (30 Mbps) entry; mid-tiers at Rs 999–1499 (150–300 Mbps) and gigabit at Rs 3999; many tiers include ~800 TV channels and ~12–14 OTT; installation/CPE typically free or free with 3-month plans.​

Airtel Xstream (FWA/Fiber): Rs 699–1599 typically at 100 Mbps, and Rs 3999 at 1 Gbps; OTT aggregation up to “22.0” with Netflix, Prime, Apple TV+, ZEE5, JioHotstar; add-ons like Google One; installation/router free across shown tiers.​

Airtel Fiber (wireline): Rs 499/699 (40 Mbps), Rs 799–1199 (100 Mbps), Rs 1599 (300 Mbps), Rs 3999 (1 Gbps); OTT 5–7 on many tiers; “350+” TV channels appear on select; install/router often free or free with 3-month plan.​

• What each does best

Jio strengths: Lowest FWA on‑ramp at Rs 599 with TV depth (800 channels) and bundled OTT ramping at higher tiers; ideal for households shifting from cable/DTH to IP with integrated TV plus streaming.​

Airtel strengths: Broad OTT aggregation and consistent 100 Mbps tiers in popular price bands, plus cloud/storage perks (Google One), aligning with streaming‑first and productivity-centric homes.​

• Future Outlook

With direct advantages and benefits accruing to all – customers as well as the operators, it is expected that 5G FWA will continue to see further upward traction in 2026.  The operators need not to wait for last mile fibre rollout, while customers can get a broadband service live in their premise within few hours after signing up.  Techarc estimates that in 2026, the operators should add another 8-9 million 5G FWA subscribers which will include some switching from wired broadband services, taking India’s total 5G FWA subscriber count to 20 million subscribers.  This translates into over 100 million users in India accessing broadband internet through 5G FWA by end of 2026.