Summary:
India’s telecom sector recorded steady growth in July 2026, with the overall wireless subscriber base rising 0.46% to 1.31 billion, according to TRAI data. Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea and BSNL gained mobile subscribers, while MTNL reported a decline, with Jio retaining the largest market share at 39.29%. 5G FWA subscriptions increased to 13.21 million, with rural users slightly ahead of urban users, while UBR FWA subscriptions also grew. Broadband and wireline connections continued to expand, and M2M cellular connections reached 137.70 million. Overall, the figures indicate continued growth in India’s mobile, broadband and fixed wireless connectivity.
According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) Telecom Subscription Data released on August 28, 2026, India’s major telecom operators Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea (Vi) and BSNL recorded increases in wireless subscribers during July 2026, while MTNL saw a decline. The overall wireless subscriber base, including mobile and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), grew from 1,300.25 million in June to 1,306.27 million in July, representing monthly growth of 0.46%. Mobile wireless subscribers increased from 1,282.38 million to 1,287.92 million, while wireless tele-density rose from 90.96% to 91.33%. M2M cellular connections were included in these calculations.
FWA Subscribers — 5G and UBR Breakdown
The number of 5G FWA subscribers rose from 12.94 million in June 2026 to 13.21 million in July. Urban subscribers stood at 6.56 million, while rural users reached 6.64 million, representing shares of 49.69% and 50.31%, respectively.
Bharti Airtel added 116,951 5G FWA users during July, taking its total to 3,937,986. Reliance Jio added 155,869 subscribers, bringing its 5G FWA base to 9,270,226. Combined, the two operators had 13,208,212 5G FWA subscribers, an increase of 272,820 users or 2.11% during the month.
Reliance Jio Infocomm, the only operator reporting UBR FWA subscribers, increased its UBR FWA base from 4,934,005 to 5,138,325, adding 204,320 users and recording monthly growth of 4.14%.
At the end of July, UBR-based wireless FWA subscriptions stood at 5.14 million. Urban areas accounted for 3.65 million users, or 71.07%, while rural areas had 1.49 million users, representing 28.93%.
Wireless Subscriber Gains and Losses
Bharti Airtel added 2,688,348 mobile subscribers in July 2026, followed by Reliance Jio with 2,446,727 and Vodafone Idea with 240,114. BSNL gained 168,874 subscribers, while MTNL lost 5,744. Overall, India’s mobile wireless subscriber base expanded by 5,538,296 users during the month.
All Licensed Service Areas, except Kolkata, recorded growth in mobile wireless subscribers during July.
Wireless Market Share
Private telecom operators accounted for 92.75% of India’s mobile wireless market at the end of July 2026, while BSNL and MTNL together held 7.25%.
Reliance Jio led with 506.03 million subscribers and an estimated 39.29% market share, followed by Bharti Airtel with 489.49 million subscribers and 38.01%. Vodafone Idea had 199.06 million subscribers and a 15.46% share, while BSNL recorded 93.18 million subscribers with 7.23%. MTNL held around 0.01% of the market with 160,733 subscribers.
Wireless Broadband Subscribers
Reliance Jio had the largest wireless broadband subscriber base at 520.44 million, followed by Bharti Airtel with 372.94 million, Vodafone Idea with 129.95 million and BSNL with 22.74 million. Including mobile and fixed wireless access subscribers as well as M2M connections, India’s total wireless access broadband base reached 1,046.34 million.
Wireline Subscriber Base
India’s wireline subscriber base increased from 47.82 million in June to 48.01 million in July 2026, adding around 0.19 million connections and registering monthly growth of 0.39%. Wireline tele-density also edged up from 3.35% to 3.36%.
In the wireline market, Reliance Jio held a 32.89% share with 15,791,128 subscribers after adding 165,786 connections. Bharti Airtel accounted for 25.32% with 12,153,862 subscribers and added 163,425 users. Vodafone Idea held 1.58% with 760,655 subscribers after losing 23,206 connections, while BSNL had a 13.85% share with 6,648,035 subscribers, adding 10,630 during the month.
M2M Cellular Connections
M2M cellular connections increased from 134.73 million in June to 137.70 million in July 2026. Bharti Airtel remained the largest provider with 84.45 million connections and a 61.33% share, followed by Reliance Jio with 26.56 million (19.29%), Vodafone Idea with 21.92 million (15.92%) and BSNL with 4.77 million (3.46%).
Active Wireless Subscribers
Of India’s 1,287.92 million mobile wireless subscribers, 1,204.01 million were active during the peak VLR period in July 2026, representing approximately 93.48% of the total subscriber base.
Bharti Airtel recorded a peak VLR of 99.12%, while Reliance Jio stood at 98.82%, Vodafone Idea at 83.97% and BSNL at 55.02%.
