A smartphone somewhere in the household
A household can qualify with one device shared among several members. It therefore contributes one household to the access measure, regardless of how many residents own phones. The survey’s published categories imply smartphone availability in 82.1% of rural households and 91.3% of urban households. These two figures add the smartphone-only and both-phone-types categories, each reported to one decimal place.
This is a strong starting point for a family service, but a limited one for an individual service. A child using a parent’s phone and an adult carrying a personal device may both live in a household counted as having a smartphone. Their practical access to an app, messages or an online lesson can be very different.
Evidence: Comprehensive Modular Survey: Telecom, 2025 — NSS Report No. 593
Personal ownership reveals a larger divide
Among people aged 15 and above, 70.2% personally owned a mobile phone of any type. The national estimates were 83.9% for men and 56.2% for women. The calculated difference is 27.7 percentage points. Among women, the rural estimate was 48.4%, compared with 71.8% in urban areas.
The ownership question includes ordinary mobile phones as well as smartphones. It refers to a phone with an active SIM for personal use; registration in the individual’s name is not required. The survey uses majority use to assign ownership when a phone is shared. These definitions are why the household smartphone and individual mobile-ownership percentages should retain their full labels.
Evidence: Comprehensive Modular Survey: Telecom, 2025 — NSS Report No. 593
Which mobile owners have a smartphone?
The report also classifies phones owned by people aged 15 and above who already own a mobile. Nationally, 79.9% of these owners had a smartphone only and 2.0% had both a smartphone and an ordinary mobile phone. Adding those mutually exclusive published categories gives 81.9% with a smartphone. The corresponding calculated figures are 77.9% in rural areas and 88.0% in urban areas.
These percentages answer what type of device mobile owners have. Their denominator excludes people without their own mobile. They therefore should not be presented as the percentage of all Indians with a smartphone. The inputs are rounded survey estimates; this page does not turn them into a precise national headcount.
Evidence: Comprehensive Modular Survey: Telecom, 2025 — NSS Report No. 593
What to ask before planning a digital service
For a service delivered to a household, begin with household access and then investigate who normally controls the device. For a service that requires private communication, independent logins or frequent use, personal ownership and individual internet use are more relevant starting points.
Neither access rate establishes demand for a paid service. A practical research worksheet should also ask about the intended user’s age, language, data availability, digital skills and ability to pay. Keep those as separate questions rather than treating every connected household as a customer.
Evidence: Comprehensive Modular Survey: Telecom, 2025 — NSS Report No. 593
Use state comparisons as estimates
The accompanying state table follows women aged 15 and above who personally own any mobile phone. It gives the national, rural and urban definitions consistently across states and union territories. It is not a ranking of household smartphone penetration.
CMS Telecom was designed primarily to produce national estimates. State results need the sample and uncertainty notes, especially for small places. A small difference between two states is a reason to examine the evidence more closely, not a firm conclusion about their residents.
Evidence: Comprehensive Modular Survey: Telecom, 2025 — NSS Report No. 593