Wireline subscriptions surge 50% between 2022 and 2024

Thanks to the uptake of broadband services, wireline connections are back in vogue. According to subscription data provided by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the number of mobile subscribers has grown by nearly 50 per cent over the last two years to 33.79 million as of March 2024 from 24.84 million in March 2022. 

Wireline connections are largely used to provide landline telephony and fixed-line broadband services. Experts believe that growth in wireline subscription numbers comes from the fact that hybrid work has become a norm in the post-Covid era, which means that more and more households need to have fixed-line broadband services. 

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What is interesting about this trend, however, is the fact that this increase in the pace of growth in wireline services coincides with the launch of 5G services. One of the first use cases of 5G is the provision of home broadband using wireless services or fixed wireless access. Jio launched mm-wave 5G home broadband services called Jio Air Fiber approximately a year ago – however, despite the launch of these services, it appears that most consumers continue to prefer wireline broadband connectivity. 

According to TRAI’s latest subscription numbers, wireline subscribers increased from 31.84 million at the end of Dec-23 to 33.79 million at the end of Mar-24 with a quarterly rate of growth 6.12 per cent, and on a y-o-y basis, wireline subscriptions also increased by 18.94 per cent at the end of QE Mar-24. This comes even as private operators such as Reliance Jio are laying optical fibre networks across 1,000 cities.

India is still lagging behind other major countries when it comes to fixed broadband services. Countries like the US have 92 per cent home broadband penetration, while Germany has 82 per cent homes connected with wired broadband.

The need for broadband will only increase in the future as users move into a digital world where products, services, governance, financial transactions, education, and entertainment are quickly moving to online platforms. When one billion-plus Indians get online and start consuming data, the existing mobile networks will not be enough to support that demand.