Telecom Industry in India

India's first telegraph line connecting Kolkata and Diamond Harbour was commissioned in 1851. Telephone service was also first started in India in Kolkata (1881–82). The first telephone exchange in India was set up in Mumbai. The country's first automatic exchange was commissioned in Shimla in 1913–14. It had a capacity of 700 lines. The postal and telecommunications sectors in India were under the same department. In 1985, telecommunications came under the Department of Telecom. In 2000, the functions of the Department of Telecom came under the control of a public sector undertaking, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited. India is the world's second largest telecommunications market based on the total number of telephone users (both fixed and mobile phone) with 1,190.66 million as of September 2024. India has the world's third largest internet user-base. The wireless technologies currently in use in Indian Telecom Industry are Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Code Multiple Access (CDMA). The Indian Telecom Industry services is not confined to basis telephone but it also extends to internet broadband, cable TV, SMS, IP TV, soft switches etc. VSNL (Videsh Sanchaar Nigam Limited) established in 1986 is the first company that provided internet service in India. VSNL provided Internet Service in the year, 1995.

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India(TRAI)

Telecom Industry in India is regulated by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India(TRAI). It is the independent regulator of the telecomunication business in India. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is a regulatory body established in 1997 by the Indian Government under section 3 of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997. New Delhi is its headquarters. On January 9, 2004, a notification issued by the central government brought broadcasting and cable services under the control of TRAI. The following are the telecom services providing companies regulated by the Department of Telecommunications and TRAI under Ministry of Communications, Government of India.

Direct-to-home (DTH) operators

Direct-to-home service or DTH is a satellite television service that can be received directly in homes. 'DD Direct Plus' is the world's first free DTH service. DD Direct Plus was launched on 16 December 2004. DD Direct Plus is now called DD Free Dish. As of 2017, 210 channels are available through this service, including 22 channels of Doordarshan, two channels of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and private channels. ASC Enterprises is the first DTH service provider in India. INSAT 4A is a satellite launched by India on 22 December 2005 to improve DTH broadcasting. There are four pay-for-use Direct-to-home (DTH) operators and one free-to-air operator (DD Free Dish) in India.

1. Tata Play (owned by Tata Group and Temasek)

2. Bharti Telemedia Limited (owned by Airtel)

3. Dish TV (Publicly Owned)

3. Sun Direct (owned by Sun TV Network and Astro)

4. DD Free Dish (owned by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting)

Multiple-System operators (MSOs)

An MSO is an operator of multiple cable television systems. The Cable Television Network Rules, 1994, permits Multi-System Operators (MSOs) to transmit their own programmes either directly to their own subscribers or through one or more local cable operators. As of 2024 September 30, there are 845 Multiple-System operators in India, where some of them have ISP license.

List of leading Multi-System Operators by subscribers

1. GTPL Hathway Ltd

2. Hathway Digital Ltd

3. Siti Networks Ltd

4. Thamizhaga Cable TV Communication Pvt Ltd. (TCCL)

5. Kerala Communicators Cable Ltd (KCCL)

6. Den Networks Ltd

7. NXT Digital Ltd (HITS)

8. KAL Cables

9. VK Digital Network Pvt. Ltd

10. Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation Ltd (TACTV)

11. Fastway Transmissions Pvt Ltd

12. NXT Digital Ltd (CATV)

WIRELESS OPERATORS IN INDIA

The first mobile phone service in India was launched in Delhi in 1995. Airtel was the service provider. According to the TRAI report, 89.21 percent of the country's wireless subscribers rely on private companies. Public sector companies like BSNL and MTNL together have only 10.79 percent of wireless subscribers. Airtel, BSNL Mobile, MTNL, Jio and Vodafone Idea (Vi) are the leading mobile companies. As of January 2025, 16 mobile operators have stopped its services in India. The longest operating ceased operator is Aircel and the oldest operater is Modi Telestra's Mobilenet, which is the first mobile operator in the country. Most recently, Reliance Communications stopped its services citing bankruptcy. As of 30th November 2024 there are around 1148.65 million wireless subscribers in the country as per the report by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

List of Mobile Companies in India

Airtel - Bharti Airtel Ltd is one of the world's leading providers of telecommunication services. It is the largest mobile operators by revenue and subscribers in India. The first company that provided 4G Service in India is Airtel. Currently, Airtel provides 5G, 4G(VoLTE, VoWiFi) and 2G services throughout India.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL Mobile) - Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is the largest public sector telecom company in India. BSNL came into existence on 1 October 2000. It is a fully controlled entity of the Central Government. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) services are available in all parts of the country except New Delhi and Mumbai. The Motto of BSNL is Connecting India. The headquarters of BSNL is located at New Delhi. The mobile service provided by BSNL is BSNL Cellone (2002). 

Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) - Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL), established on 1 April 1986, operates under the Union Ministry of Communications. The headquarters of MTNL is located at New Delhi. MTNL provides telecom services in Mumbai and New Delhi. MTNL is an Indian public sector company listed on the New York Stock Exchange in the United States. 'Dolphin' is MTNL's mobile phone service. The first company to provide 3G service in India is MTNL.

Jio - Jio is a company that provides high-speed internet services at low cost. The arrival of the country's first VOICE OVER LTE made the mobile networks up to 3G disappear. Jio not only made it possible to make calls using 4G internet, but also provided services including live television for free. Jio made revolutionary progress in all 22 telecom circles of the country. With this, even other big companies that provided internet services for a large amount of money reduced the charges and the country prepared for a big revolution in internet connectivity. Although Jio started its service on a trial basis on December 27, 2015, it started operating on a commercial basis on September 5, 2016. Currently, Jio provides 5G(VoNR), 4G(VoLTE), VoWiFi services throughout India.

Vodafone Idea (Vi) - Vodafone Idea (Vi) is one of the leading telecom service providers in India, headquartered in Mumbai and Gandhinagar. The Company is engaged in the business of mobile telephony services, trading of handsets and data cards. It is an all-India integrated GSM operator. Vodafone Idea was created on 31 August 2018 by the merger of Vodafone India and Idea Cellular. On 20 September 2020, the two separate brands Vodafone India and Idea Cellular rebranded as Vodafone Idea (Vi).

WIRELINE OPERATORS IN INDIA

Seven operators run significant retail fixed-line networks in India. JioFiber, Airtel, BSNL, Tata Teleservices, Vi, Quadrant and Reliance Communications are the fixed-line operators in India. Fixed-line coverage is largely provided by state-owned operators - Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd. (MTNL). As of 30 November 2024, there are 38.50 million wireline subscribers in India according to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).  

INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS (ISPs) 

An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides broadband (wired + wireless) services. Internet services offered by Internet Service Provider can include internet access and transit, domain name registration, web hosting, and colocation. The total number of broadband subscribers in india is 941.47 million as of 2024 November 30. Total wireless broadband subscribers is 903.79 million and the wireline broadband subscribers is 40.97 million. As of 2024 November 30, top five Wireless Broadband Service providers in India are JioFiber, Airtel, Vi, BSNL and Intech Online. And as of 2024 November 30, top five Wired Broadband Service providers in India are JioFiber, Airtel, BSNL, ACT and KVBL. Other notable Internet Service Providers are APSFL, Asianet Broadband, DEN Networks, Hathway, RailTel, Sify, Tata Play, Excitel etc. Some of the Internet Service Providers in india for enterprise/wholesale only are CtrlS Datacenters, ERNET, GAILTEL, National Knowledge Network (for educational institutions only), PowerTel and Tulip Telecom.