Summary:
Reliance Jio led India’s mobile subscriber additions in September 2026, gaining approximately 19 lakh connections excluding M2M, compared with Airtel’s 2 lakh additions, while Vodafone Idea lost nearly 3 lakh subscribers, according to IIFL and DAM Capital analyses of TRAI data. The industry’s mobile subscriber base grew by around 22 lakh to 115.5 crore. Jio also recorded the strongest adjusted active subscriber gains and outperformed Airtel in home broadband, adding 4.2 lakh connections against Airtel’s 1.6 lakh. Jio’s combined fibre and fixed wireless broadband base reached approximately 3 crore connections, although broadband additions slowed across both operators compared with August.
Reliance Jio recorded the highest mobile subscriber additions in India in September 2026, excluding machine-to-machine (M2M) connections, according to analyses of TRAI data by IIFL and DAM Capital. Jio gained around 19 lakh connections during the month, compared with approximately 2 lakh additions for Airtel, while Vodafone Idea experienced a decline of nearly 3 lakh connections.
DAM Capital reported that the industry’s mobile subscriber base, excluding M2M connections, grew by approximately 22 lakh in September, taking the total to 115.5 crore. Jio accounted for the largest portion of the industry’s net subscriber growth during the month.
M2M connectivity enables devices such as smart meters, vehicle tracking systems and industrial machinery to communicate over networks. Excluding these connections provides a clearer picture of conventional mobile subscription trends. These figures reflect the number of connections and do not necessarily correspond to the number of individual users.
Reliance Jio Continues to Lead Mobile Subscriber Additions
According to IIFL, Jio added approximately 19 lakh mobile connections excluding M2M in September, maintaining a pace broadly in line with August. Airtel gained around 2 lakh connections, marking its weakest addition performance in recent months. Vodafone Idea’s figures demonstrated how the inclusion of M2M connections can affect reported subscriber growth. IIFL stated that Vi added approximately 5.5 lakh mobile connections, including M2M, during September. However, after excluding M2M connections, the operator recorded a decline of around 2.6 lakh subscribers.
The findings indicate that Jio continued to expand its mobile subscriber base at a steady pace, whereas Airtel’s growth weakened and Vodafone Idea continued to lose subscribers when M2M connections were excluded.
DAM Capital’s Adjusted Active Subscriber Data Highlights Jio’s Growth
Jio also posted the strongest gains under DAM Capital’s adjusted measure of active mobile connections. To estimate the core visitor location register (VLR) subscriber base, the brokerage deducted total M2M connections from the reported VLR subscriber figures. Using this methodology, Jio added approximately 13 lakh connections in September. In contrast, Airtel’s subscriber base contracted by around 2 lakh, while Vodafone Idea recorded a decline of nearly 3 lakh.
According to DAM Capital, the industry’s core VLR subscriber base expanded by approximately 6 lakh during September. Jio’s additions contributed to this growth, partially counterbalancing subscriber declines at other operators.
These numbers are based on DAM Capital’s adjusted methodology and differ from the headline VLR figures reported by the industry. IIFL also highlighted that the inclusion of M2M connections in reported VLR data complicates the assessment of actual active mobile subscriber additions.
Jio’s Home Broadband Connections Reach 3 Crore
In the home broadband segment, Jio also outperformed Airtel in September. According to IIFL, Jio added approximately 4.2 lakh fixed broadband connections, compared with around 1.6 lakh additions by Airtel. Based on these rounded estimates, Jio’s monthly additions were roughly 2.6 times those of Airtel.
Jio’s additions included approximately 1.1 lakh fibre connections, 0.9 lakh fifth-generation (5G) fixed wireless access (FWA) connections and 2.2 lakh connections through unlicensed-band radio technology. Airtel, meanwhile, added around 1.1 lakh fibre connections and 0.5 lakh 5G FWA connections. The reports stated that Jio’s combined fibre and fixed wireless broadband subscriber base reached approximately 3 crore connections, compared with Airtel’s 1.56 crore.
Despite their growth, both operators recorded a slowdown in broadband additions compared with August. Jio’s monthly additions declined from approximately 5 lakh to 4.2 lakh, while Airtel’s fell from around 2.6 lakh to 1.6 lakh. DAM Capital reported that total home broadband additions across the industry also moderated to approximately 6 lakh in September.
