As per the Comprehensive Modular Survey: Telecom (CMS:T) report of the 80th round of National Sample Survey released in May 2025, 95.3% of Indian households (94.5% rural and 96.6% urban) possessed either a mobile phone or a landline connection. Further, 92.7% of individuals aged 15 years and above reported using the internet at least once every day during the last three months. However, only 43.5% of individuals aged 15 and above could send or receive an email, only a marginal improvement from the last survey.
In the previous story, we examined the proportion of people using online banking transactions by different modes, alongside the share of persons reporting cyber crimes, based on the Comprehensive Modular Survey: Telecom (CMS:T) report of the 80th round of National Sample Survey released in May 2025.
In this story, we examine the proportion of people using various types of telephones, including landline, telephone, etc., and the proportion of persons using the internet and their ability to perform various operations using the same.
Landline phone users account for only 1.3%
As highlighted earlier, the CMS:T survey was conducted across the country between January and March 2025, covering 4,382 locations, including 2,395 rural villages and 1,987 urban blocks. The survey collected data from 34,950 households.
One major component of the data focused on the types of telecommunication devices possessed by households. This included landline phones, mobile phones (including smartphones and other types), and Optical Fiber Connection (OFC).
According to the results, the all-India average proportion of households possessing a landline phone stood at just 1.9%, with 2.8% of urban and 1.3% of rural households owning landlines. Smartphone ownership was much higher at 59.2%, comprising 53% in rural areas and 70% in urban areas. Meanwhile, 9.7% of households used mobile phones other than smartphones, with 12.3% in rural and 5.3% in urban locations. Notably, 26.2% of households—29.1% rural and 21.3% urban—reported using both smartphones and other types of mobile phones.
Overall, 95.3% of Indian households (94.5% rural and 96.6% urban) possessed either a mobile phone or a landline connection.
In the case of States and Union Territories (UTs) in terms of landline ownership, Andaman and Nicobar Islands recorded the highest proportion, with 16.6% of households possessing landline phones—28.7% in rural areas and 3.4% in urban areas. Assam and Odisha had the lowest landline ownership, with only 0.5% of households each. Specifically, rural landline ownership was 0.5% in Assam and 0.3% in Odisha, while urban figures stood at 0.7% and 1%, respectively.
In terms of smartphone usage, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu had the highest with 91.8% of households owning smartphones—69.1% in rural and a remarkable 99.3% in urban areas. In contrast, Nagaland had the lowest smartphone ownership, with only 51.9% of households using them—49% in rural and 56.1% in urban areas.
Regarding overall telephone connectivity (households possessing either a landline or any type of mobile phone), the UTs of Ladakh and Lakshadweep stood out, with 100% of households—both rural and urban—reporting ownership. The lowest was Odisha, where 85.8% of households had either a landline or mobile phone, broken down into 84% in rural and 93.7% in urban areas.
Nearly 93% of Persons use Internet everyday
The widespread use of telephones in India is closely accompanied by significant internet usage across the country. According to the survey, 92.7% of individuals aged 15 years and above reported using the internet at least once every day during the last three months. This includes 91.3% in rural areas and 94.8% in urban areas. In contrast, 6.7% of individuals (8% rural, 4.7% urban) used the internet at least once a week but not every day.
Notably, all States and Union Territories (UTs) reported over 85% of persons using the internet at least once daily, regardless of whether they lived in rural or urban areas.
Gender-wise comparison reveals that 94.7% of males (93.8% rural, 96.1% urban) used the internet daily during the three-month period, while 4.8% (5.7% rural, 3.4% urban) accessed the internet at least once a week but not daily.
However, the proportion of female internet users was slightly lower than that of males. Still, 90.2% of females (88.2% rural, 93.3% urban) reported using the internet daily, while 9.2% (11% rural, 6.3% urban) used it once a week but not daily during the same period.
64% of persons sent messages through e-mail, messaging service, and SMS with attached files
As per the survey, only 63.6% of individuals aged 15 years and above reported sending messages via email, messaging services, or SMS with attached files such as documents, pictures, or videos. This includes 59.1% in rural areas and 72.6% in urban areas.
When broken down by gender, 71.3% of males used these services—67.2% in rural and 79.1% in urban regions. In comparison, only 55.9% of females reported using them—50.9% in rural and 65.8% in urban areas.
A similar pattern emerges in the use of copy-and-paste functions to duplicate or move data, documents, or other content. Overall, 62.3% of individuals (aged 15 and above) used these tools—57.9% in rural and 70.8% in urban areas. Among males, 70% used these tools—66.1% rural and 77.4% urban. Among females, the usage was lower at 54.4%, with 49.7% in rural and 63.9% in urban areas.
These trends indicate that, despite the widespread growth in internet access, familiarity with or usage of basic digital services remains significantly lower.
Only 44% of persons can send or receive email
The gap becomes even more evident when examining the proportion of people (15 years and above) able to send or receive emails, a basic digital skill. According to the survey, only 43.5% of individuals aged 15 and above could perform this task — 36.9% in rural and 56.3% in urban areas.
By gender, 50.9% of males (with 44.3% rural and 63.5% urban) were able to send or receive emails. Among females, the number drops further to 35.9%, with 29.5% in rural and 48.6% in urban areas being able to do so.
