Summary:
According to TRAI’s September 2026 report, Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and BSNL gained wireless mobile subscribers, while MTNL recorded a decline. India’s total wireless mobile subscriber base rose by approximately 6.57 million to 1.3 billion, with wireless tele-density increasing to 92.12%. Jio led the market with a 39.32% share and the highest wireless broadband subscriber base, while Airtel recorded the largest number of M2M cellular connections. Growth was also reported in 5G FWA and wireline subscriptions during the month.
India’s major telecom operators, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea (Vi) and state-owned BSNL, registered increases in wireless subscribers in September 2026. In contrast, state-owned MTNL experienced a decline, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) Telecom Subscription Data at the end of September 2026, published on October 27, 2026.
The report indicates that the total wireless subscriber base, covering mobile and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) connections, grew from 1,312.25 million at the end of August 2026 to 1,319.19 million by the end of September, representing monthly growth of 0.53 percent. Wireless mobile subscriptions also increased from 1,293.43 million to 1,300.00 million over the same period, recording growth of 0.51 percent. India’s wireless tele-density rose from 91.69 percent to 92.12 percent. M2M cellular mobile connections are included in the calculations for wireless subscribers and tele-density.
FWA Subscribers — 5G and UBR Breakdown
The number of wireless 5G FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) subscribers increased from 13.45 million at the end of August 2026 to 13.61 million at the end of September. Of these, 6.54 million were in urban areas and 7.06 million in rural areas. Urban users represented 48.11 percent of the total, while rural users accounted for 51.89 percent.
At the end of September 2026, Bharti Airtel had 4,087,679 5G FWA subscribers, adding 53,354 during the month. Reliance Jio recorded 9,517,482 users, an increase of 98,386. Together, the two operators had 13,605,161 5G FWA subscribers. Their combined subscriber base grew by 151,740 during September, reflecting monthly growth of 1.13 percent.
Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, the only operator reporting UBR FWA subscribers, expanded its subscriber base from 5,367,984 at the end of August 2026 to 5,583,453 at the end of September. This represented an addition of 215,469 subscribers and monthly growth of 4.01 percent.
At the end of September 2026, the total number of wireless FWA subscribers using UBR technology stood at 5.58 million. Urban areas accounted for 3.95 million of these connections, while rural areas contributed 1.63 million. Urban subscribers made up 70.74 percent of the UBR FWA base, compared with 29.26 percent in rural areas.
Gain and Loss of Wireless Subscribers
During September 2026, Bharti Airtel added 2,692,096 wireless mobile subscribers, while Reliance Jio gained 2,712,632. Vodafone Idea recorded an increase of 550,119 subscribers, and BSNL added 625,633. MTNL, meanwhile, lost 6,628 wireless mobile subscribers. Overall, India’s wireless mobile subscriber base expanded by 6,573,843 during the month.
Every Licensed Service Area (LSA) recorded an increase in wireless mobile subscribers in September 2026.
Wireless Market Share of Operators
By the end of September 2026, private access service providers accounted for 92.74 percent of India’s wireless mobile market. BSNL and MTNL together held the remaining 7.26 percent.
Reliance Jio had approximately 39.32 percent of the market, with 511.14 million (511,144,537) wireless subscribers. Bharti Airtel followed with around 38.02 percent and 494.29 million (494,291,213) subscribers. Vodafone Idea held about 15.39 percent, with 200.12 million (200,119,470) subscribers. BSNL accounted for approximately 7.25 percent, with 94.30 million (94,296,332) subscribers, while MTNL held around 0.01 percent, with 148,226 subscribers.
Wireless (Fixed Wireless and Mobile) Access Broadband Subscribers
At the end of September 2026, Reliance Jio led the wireless broadband segment with 526.25 million subscribers. Bharti Airtel followed with 377.31 million, Vodafone Idea with 130.99 million and BSNL with 23.96 million. Including M2M cellular mobile connections, the total wireless access broadband subscriber base, covering fixed wireless and mobile access, reached 1,058.79 million.
Wireline Telephone Subscriber Base
India’s wireline subscriber base rose from 48.45 million at the end of August 2026 to 48.74 million at the end of September. The sector recorded a net addition of 0.29 million subscribers, equivalent to monthly growth of 0.60 percent. Wireline tele-density also increased during the month, moving from 3.39 percent to 3.40 percent.
In the wireline segment:
- Reliance Jio accounted for approximately 33.06 percent of the market, with 16,113,204 subscribers, after adding 134,279 during September.
- Bharti Airtel held around 25.46 percent, with 12,409,254 subscribers, recording a monthly addition of 124,259.
- Vodafone Idea represented approximately 1.57 percent of the market, with 764,939 subscribers, after gaining 10,828.
- BSNL had about 13.67 percent of the market, with 6,661,855 subscribers, adding 11,717 during the month.
M2M Cellular Connections
M2M (Machine-to-Machine) cellular mobile connections increased from 140.50 million at the end of August 2026 to 144.85 million by the end of September.
Bharti Airtel led this segment with 88.58 million connections, representing 61.16 percent of the market. Reliance Jio followed with approximately 27.94 million connections (19.29 percent), while Vodafone Idea had around 23.38 million (16.14 percent) and BSNL recorded approximately 4.95 million (3.41 percent).
Active Wireless Subscribers
Of India’s 1,300.00 million wireless mobile subscribers, 1,212.80 million were active on the day of peak VLR (Visitor Location Register) in September 2026. Active users represented approximately 93.29 percent of the total wireless mobile subscriber base.
Bharti Airtel recorded a peak VLR of 98.94 percent during the month, followed by Reliance Jio at 98.67 percent. Vodafone Idea reported 83.85 percent, while BSNL recorded 54.46 percent.
