With a population of over Rs 139 crore, there are many telecommunication companies in India that provide communication services. Among them, we list the top 4 telecom companies in India as of 2022.
Internet penetration in India is around 50%. There are 1166.02 million wireless subscribers according to the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of India as of September 2021.
According to the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), there were around 20 telecom operators, but now, due to high competition, mergers and acquisitions are on the rise. This meant that only a few telecom operators made the list. There are currently 4 telecommunication or mobile operators providing their services in India.
| Company | Technology | Services | Ownership |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jio | 850(B5)/1800(B3)/2300(B40) LTE, TD-LTE, FD-LTE, LTE-A VoLTE, ViLTE, VoWiFi WiFi | Fixed line telephone Mobile phones Wireless broadband Internet services OTT Services | Jio Platforms |
| Airtel | GSM – 900/1800 (EDGE), GPRS 900(B8)/1800(B3)/2100(B1)/2300(B40) LTE, TD-LTE, FD-LTE, LTE-A VoLTE, ViLTE, VoWiFi WiFi | Fixed line telephone Mobile phone Broadband Satellite television Payment bank Digital television Internet television IPTV | Bharti Airtel Limited |
| Vi | GSM – 900/1800 (EDGE), GPRS 900(B8)/1800(B3)/2100(B1)/2300(B40)/2500(B41) LTE, TD-LTE, FD-LTE, LTE-A VoLTE, ViLTE, VoWiFi WiFi | Mobile telephony Wireless broadband Internet services | Government of India (35.8%) Vodafone Group (28.5%) Aditya Birla Group (17.8%) Private equity (17.9%) |
| BSNL | GSM – 900/1800 (EDGE), GPRS 850(B5)/2100(B1)/2500(B41) LTE, TD-LTE, FD-LTE, LTE-A VoLTE WiMAX, WiFi | Mobile telephony Wireless broadband Internet services | Government of india |
Jio:
Jio is India’s telecommunications company that spans all 22 states. It only provides 4G LTE and voice over LTE instead of 2G and 3G. It is the largest mobile network operator in India and the third largest mobile network operator in the world with more than 42.62 crore (426.2 million) subscribers.
Technology used:
- 850(B5)/1800(B3)/2300(B40) LTE, TD-LTE, FD-LTE, LTE-A
- VoLTE, ViLTE, VoWiFi
- Wifi
Jio was founded on February 15, 2007 by billionaire Mukesh Ambani.
Providing Services:
- Landline phone
- Mobile phones
- wireless broadband
- Internet services
- OTT services
Airtel:
Airtel, also known as Bharti Airtel Limited, is an Indian multinational telecommunications services company headquartered in New Delhi, India. It operates in 18 countries in South Asia and Africa, as well as the Channel Islands. Airtel offers 2G, 4G LTE, 4G+ mobile services, fixed line broadband and voice services depending on the country of operation.
It is the second largest mobile network operator in India and the third largest mobile network operator in the world with more than 354.47 million subscribers.
Technology used:
- GSM – 900/1800 (EDGE), GPRS
- 900(B8)/1800(B3)/2100(B1)/2300(B40) LTE, TD-LTE, FD-LTE, LTE-A
- VoLTE, ViLTE, VoWiFi
- Wifi
Airtel was found by Sunil Bharti Mittal on July 7, 1995.
Providing Services:
- landline phone
- Mobile phone
- broadband
- satellite television
- payment bank
- digital television
- internet tv
- IPTV
VI (Vodafone Idea Limited):
Vi or Vodafone Idea Limited is an Indian telecommunications operator based in Mumbai and Gandhinagar.
As of September 30, 2021, Vi has a subscriber base of 269.99 million, making it the third largest mobile telecommunication network in India and the 10th largest mobile telecommunication network in the world with around 269 .99 million subscribers. It has been providing GSM phone services like 2G, GPRS, 3G, LTE and VoLTE
On August 31, 2018, Vodafone India merged with Idea Cellular to form a new entity named Vodafone Idea Limited.
Technology used:
- GSM – 900/1800 (EDGE), GPRS
- 900(B8)/1800(B3)/2100(B1)/2300(B40)/2500(B41) LTE, TD-LTE, FD-LTE, LTE-A
- VoLTE, ViLTE, VoWiFi
- Wifi
Providing Services:
- mobile telephony
- wireless broadband
- Internet services
BSNL:
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is a government-owned telecommunications service provider headquartered in New Delhi, India. It is owned by the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Government of India. It was incorporated on October 1, 2000 by the Government of India.
It is the largest government-owned wireline telecommunication network service provider and the fourth largest wireless telecommunication service provider in India.
Currently, BSNL has around 117 million subscribers. In 2019, the Indian government decided to merge MTNL and BSNL in order to foster competition against private telecom operators.
Technology used:
- GSM – 900/1800 (EDGE), GPRS
- 850(B5)/2100(B1)/2500(B41) LTE, TD-LTE, FD-LTE, LTE-A
- VoLTE
- Wifi
Providing Services:
- mobile telephony
- wireless broadband
- Internet services
