Reliance Jio, India’s leading telecom provider, is on track to become the world’s largest Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) service provider by subscriber count, surpassing global competitors like T-Mobile, according to a report by ICICI Securities. With rapid subscriber additions and dominance in India’s broadband segment, Jio is poised to cement its position in the global FWA space.
According to data released by TRAI, Reliance Jio's total 5G FWA subscriber base, including users on unlicensed band radio (UBR) networks, reached 6.88 million as of May 2025. This figure places Jio marginally ahead of T-Mobile, which had 6.85 million FWA users in March 2025.
The report by analysts Sanjesh Jain, Mohit Mishra, and Aparajita Chakraborty highlights that Reliance Jio is on course to become the dominant global player in FWA by June 2025.
Jio recently reclassified 1 million UBR-based FWA subscribers under the FTTx (fiber-to-the-x) category. After this adjustment, the net FWA base stood at 5.9 million in May. Despite the reclassification, Jio added 0.74 million new FWA customers in that month alone.
The industry-wide FWA subscriber base, excluding UBR, stood at 7.4 million, with Jio accounting for the majority share.
“RJio’s FWA base (including UBR) stood at 6.88 million, nearly overtaking T-Mobile,” the ICICI Securities report noted.
Beyond its FWA performance, Reliance Jio continues to dominate India’s overall broadband market, which includes both wired and wireless services. As of May 2025:
Fixed wired broadband subscribers: 13.51 million
Wireless broadband subscribers: 480.96 million
This gives Reliance Jio a 50.72% market share in the Indian broadband segment, significantly ahead of its closest competitor.
Bharti Airtel, Jio’s main rival, holds a 30.99% share in the broadband market. Despite the gap, Airtel also continues to grow steadily and remains a major player in India’s telecom landscape.
Together, Jio and Airtel dominate India’s telecom market, both in wireless and broadband services.
The total telecom subscriber base in India rose marginally to 1.207 billion in May 2025. During this period, Jio and Airtel added over 99% of the new subscribers, underlining their continued market leadership.
Total net subscriber additions (all telcos): 4.36 million
Combined net additions by Jio and Airtel: 4.35 million
Jio and Airtel share of total additions: 99.84%
This indicates that nearly every new telecom user in May 2025 joined either Jio or Airtel.
Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) has emerged as a crucial pillar in Jio’s strategy to expand high-speed internet across rural and semi-urban India. With limited fiber penetration in remote regions, FWA offers a scalable and cost-effective way to deliver 5G connectivity without the need for extensive infrastructure.
Jio’s ability to leverage unlicensed bands, alongside licensed spectrum, has accelerated the deployment of FWA services and contributed to its rapid subscriber growth.
Conclusion: Jio’s Global Ambitions on the Rise
With aggressive expansion, rapid customer acquisition, and dominant domestic performance, Reliance Jio is poised to surpass T-Mobile and become the world’s leading FWA provider by subscriber base. Its leadership in India’s broadband sector and focus on next-gen connectivity solutions are setting the stage for Jio’s emergence as a global telecom powerhouse.
Reliance Jio Fixed Wireless Access growth,Jio vs T-Mobile FWA subscribers 2025,India broadband market share May 2025,Jio 5G FWA expansion,Jio surpasses T-Mobile in FWA,Reliance Jio broadband user base 2025,ICICI Securities Jio report,Bharti Airtel broadband market share,India telecom subscriber data May 2025,Jio FWA unlicensed band radio reclassification
Reliance Jio is on track to surpass T-Mobile as the world’s largest Fixed Wireless Access provider by subscribers.