India’s telecommunications market posted steady growth mid-year, expanding its total wireless mobile subscriber base to 1,282.38 million at the end of June 2026. According to the latest data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the mobile segment added over 5.38 million net subscribers during the month, representing a monthly growth rate of 0.42%.
The broader wireless category—which includes consumer SIMs, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) cellular links, and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)—expanded to 1,300.25 million connections. As a result, India’s overall wireless tele-density climbed from 90.61% in May to 90.96% by the close of June.
Operator Gain and Loss Breakdown: Airtel and Jio Drive 87% of Growth
Private telecom operators continued their dominant run, controlling 92.73% of the wireless market, while state-run operators BSNL and MTNL accounted for the remaining 7.27%.
Bharti Airtel led mobile user additions for the month, gaining 2.99 million subscribers. Reliance Jio followed with 2.15 million additions, while Vodafone Idea (Vi) posted modest positive growth with 163,757 new users. Public sector provider BSNL added 94,006 connections, whereas MTNL lost 11,284 users.
| Telecom Service Provider (TSP) | June 2026 Net Additions | Total Mobile Base (Millions) | Market Share (%) | Peak VLR Active Rate (%) |
| Reliance Jio | +2,146,980 | 503.58 | 39.27% | 99.07% |
| Bharti Airtel | +2,989,976 | 486.80 | 37.96% | 99.27% |
| Vodafone Idea (Vi) | +163,757 | 198.82 | 15.50% | 83.98% |
| BSNL | +94,006 | 93.01 | 7.25% | 55.58% |
| MTNL | -11,284 | 0.17 | 0.01% | N/A |
| Total Industry | +5,383,415 | 1,282.38 | 100.00% | 93.66% |
High VLR Active User Ratios Across Private Networks
Out of India’s 1.28 billion mobile connections, 1,201.06 million subscribers were active on the peak Visitor Location Register (VLR) date during June 2026, translating to a high industry-wide active rate of 93.66%.
Both Bharti Airtel (99.27%) and Reliance Jio (99.07%) maintained active subscriber ratios above 99%, signaling high-quality primary SIM usage across their user bases. Vodafone Idea reported an 83.98% active rate, while BSNL’s peak active ratio stood at 55.58%.
5G FWA and Unlicensed Band Radio (UBR) Adoption
Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) continued to gain traction as a reliable alternative to traditional wired home broadband:
- 5G FWA Connections: Total 5G FWA subscribers reached 12.94 million in June. Adoption was balanced almost equally between regions, with 6.44 million (49.80%) subscribers in urban zones and 6.49 million (50.20%) in rural areas.
- Operator Breakdown: Reliance Jio led the 5G FWA segment with 9.11 million connections (adding 145,790 in June), while Bharti Airtel held 3.82 million users (adding 56,773).
- UBR FWA Footprint: Reliance Jio remains the sole provider reporting Unlicensed Band Radio (UBR) FWA subscribers, growing its base by 201,302 to reach 4.93 million connections.
Wireline Declines While M2M Connections Surge
In contrast to wireless growth, the total wireline telephone base contracted by 0.81 million connections (-1.67%) to finish June at 47.82 million. Although private players added wireline users—Airtel gained 173,667 and Jio gained 144,057—sharp losses from public sector legacy providers like BSNL (-796,408) pulled overall wireline numbers down.
Meanwhile, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) cellular connections surged from 131.11 million in May to 134.73 million in June. Bharti Airtel dominated the M2M landscape with 82.77 million connections (61.44% market share), followed by Reliance Jio with 25.76 million (19.12%), Vodafone Idea with 21.62 million (16.05%), and BSNL with 4.57 million (3.40%).
Industry Outlook and Market Takeaways
Industry Context: The June 2026 TRAI report reflects a healthy telecom market anchored by private infrastructure investments. As mobile operators expand 5G coverage into tier-2 and tier-3 markets, 5G Fixed Wireless Access is emerging as a critical engine for closing rural broadband gaps.
With wireless broadband subscriptions reaching 1,021.43 million, Indian consumers continue to migrate toward high-speed data tiers, supporting sustainable Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) metrics for leading operators.
The June 2026 TRAI data underscores the steady expansion of India’s telecom ecosystem. As private operators add millions of mobile users each month and accelerate 5G FWA deployments, digital connectivity continues to deepen across both urban centers and rural heartlands.
Lingraj Sahu
Lingraj is one of the youngest members of TelecomByte, and a recent tech geek convert. When he's not churning out articles, you’ll find him watching sports, exploring new places, and listening to music.