NEW DELHI — India's mobile internet subscriber base crossed the 900 million milestone in February 2025, according to data published by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), marking an 18% year-on-year increase driven by rapid rural adoption and the aggressive rollout of 5G networks.
The country now has more mobile internet users than the combined populations of the United States and the European Union, making it the world's largest mobile internet market after China. Average data consumption per user stands at 24 GB per month — among the highest globally — thanks to ultra-low tariffs pioneered by Reliance Jio.
Rural Connectivity Revolution
The most striking trend in the TRAI data is the surge in rural connectivity, with villages now accounting for 72% of all new internet activations compared to just 54% in 2022. The government's BharatNet programme — which has connected 2.1 lakh gram panchayats with optical fibre — is credited as the primary driver of this shift.
Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said the government aimed to complete the final phase of BharatNet, covering the remaining 4 lakh villages, by December 2026. "Every Indian, whether in the hills of Uttarakhand or the islands of Andaman, deserves the same quality of digital access," he said.