The year 2025 definitely marks a turning point for India’s telecom sector. What was once measured mainly by speed and coverage began to be defined by AI, trust, scale and the powerful digital infrastructure of the networks.
The telecom industry in India moved beyond connectivity and started functioning as the backbone of the country’s digital economy.
Reliance Jio: Scaling AI on data ecosystems
Reliance Jio followed an aggressive scale-first strategy in 2025. It pushed artificial intelligence, Web3, gaming, satellite broadband and device ecosystems into the mainstream. Early in the year, Jio Platforms partnered with Polygon Labs to introduce Web3 services for everyday users, aiming to make decentralised identity and on-chain applications part of regular digital life.
At Mobile World Congress 2025, Jio unveiled plans for an Open Telecom AI Platform with AMD, Cisco and Nokia, placing itself among global players shaping telecom-native AI. Jio also signed a Starlink agreement with SpaceX, bringing satellite broadband into its growth plans.
Entertainment and devices remained key engagement drivers. Jio partnered with Krafton India for gaming packs targeting BGMI users and expanded its smart TV footprint through JioTele OS-powered televisions with Blaupunkt. On the infrastructure front, Reliance announced plans for a massive 1-gigawatt data centre campus in Visakhapatnam, one of India’s largest hyperscale bets.
ALSO READ | 9% increase in two sessions, what is driving up NBCC's share price?
Bharti Airtel focusing on trust and security with AI
If 2025 belonged to scale for Jio, it belonged to trust and security for Bharti Airtel. Airtel’s strategy centred on strengthening the network as a safe and intelligent digital layer rather than just a connectivity pipe.
Airtel became the first telecom operator in India to deploy network-level, AI-driven scam and spam protection, moving fraud detection out of apps and directly into the core telecom network. This step addressed the growing threat of scam calls, spoofing, and phishing as India’s digital economy expanded rapidly.
On the business side, Airtel focused on enterprise programmability, security and reliability, laying the groundwork for long-term monetisation. After years of price wars in the sector, Airtel aligned with the broader industry shift towards disciplined growth, ARPU improvement and capex efficiency.
BSNL on the road to revival
2025 marked BSNL’s most credible comeback in years. For the first time since 2007, the public sector operator posted back-to-back quarterly profits, including a Rs 262 crore profit in Q3 FY25. BSNL launched India’s first fully indigenous 4G network and followed it up with the country’s first SIM-less, fully indigenous 5G Fixed Wireless Access service.
Beyond consumer services, BSNL entered the industrial digitisation sector by partnering with Numaligarh Refinery Limited for Industry 4.0 solutions. To rebuild trust, it launched a nationwide Customer Service Month and rolled out free 4G trials and a Re 1 offer to boost adoption.
ALSO READ | Year-end lull hits markets: Sensex slips below 85,000, Nifty50 falls under 26,000
Vodafone Idea stabilised the core
The company upgraded its network with Nokia and Cisco to improve capacity, latency and reliability this year. VI also strengthened its enterprise focus through partnerships with IBM, TCS, AWS and C-DOT, and set up a Mumbai-based IoT Innovation Lab.
In satellite connectivity, Vi partnered with AST SpaceMobile to explore direct-to-device services. On the consumer side, it enhanced engagement through content tie-ups with Lionsgate Play and Amazon MX Player, along with niche services like international roaming and baggage insurance.
Adani Group becoming the backbone
Adani emerged as a major digital infrastructure player. It partnered with Google to build India’s largest data centre campus in Visakhapatnam and committed $5 billion to Google-linked data centres. The group also worked with Autodesk on AI-led infrastructure design and strengthened interconnection density through assets in Chennai.
With satellite internet entering the picture and hyperscale data centres rising on the east coast, telecom began escaping geographic limits.
As 2026 approaches, the sector is set to move towards autonomous networks, deeper AI integration and satellite-led connectivity.
