India’s wireless telecom sector continued its strong growth in the quarter ended March 2026, with mobile data consumption, 5G adoption, and average revenue per user (ARPU) all recording healthy gains, according to the latest Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) report.
Total wireless data usage increased to 77,953 petabytes (PB) during the March 2026 quarter from 73,324 PB in the December 2025 quarter, registering a 6.31 percent quarterly growth.
5G Traffic Nears Half of India’s Mobile Data Usage
Fourth-generation and fifth-generation networks dominated India’s wireless data consumption. Of the total 77,953 PB data traffic during the quarter:
2G: 45 PB (0.06 percent)
3G: 84 PB (0.11 percent)
4G: 44,501 PB (57.09 percent)
5G: 33,323 PB (42.75 percent)
The figures indicate that 5G has rapidly become a major contributor to India’s mobile broadband ecosystem, while 2G and 3G now account for only a negligible share of total data consumption.
The number of wireless data subscribers also increased from 1,018.59 million at the end of December 2025 to 1,026.75 million by the end of March 2026.
Wireless ARPU Climbs to Rs. 196.04
TRAI said the monthly Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) for wireless services increased by 0.76 percent, rising from Rs. 194.57 in the December 2025 quarter to Rs. 196.04 in the March 2026 quarter. On a year-on-year basis, wireless ARPU increased by 7.15 percent.
The prepaid segment generated a slightly higher monthly ARPU of Rs. 196.22, compared with Rs. 194.31 for postpaid subscribers.
India’s prepaid subscriber market share, however, declined marginally from 90.63 percent at the end of December 2025 to 90.14 percent by the end of March 2026.
Private Operators Maintain Higher ARPU
Private telecom operators continued to generate significantly higher customer revenue than public sector operators.
The ARPU of private telecom companies increased by 0.50 percent, rising from Rs. 203.86 to Rs. 204.87 during the quarter.
Public sector telecom operators recorded faster growth, with ARPU increasing 7.27 percent from Rs. 86.01 to Rs. 92.26, although their revenue per subscriber remained well below that of private operators.
Circle A Leads India in Wireless ARPU
Among telecom circles, Circle A reported the highest blended ARPU of Rs. 217.51, supported by postpaid ARPU of Rs. 220.61 and prepaid ARPU of Rs. 217.15.
Circle B recorded a blended ARPU of Rs. 187.69, with prepaid ARPU at Rs. 188.75 and postpaid ARPU at Rs. 170.26.
Circle C posted a blended ARPU of Rs. 188.07, driven by prepaid ARPU of Rs. 191.58, while postpaid ARPU stood at Rs. 155.79.
Metro circles reported a blended ARPU of Rs. 170.24, with postpaid users generating Rs. 207.07 compared with Rs. 159.43 for prepaid subscribers.
Mobile Data Generates 85.60 Percent of Telecom Revenue
Data services remained the biggest revenue source for India’s telecom operators, contributing Rs. 172.59 per subscriber per month, or 85.60 percent of total wireless ARPU.
Voice calling generated Rs. 14.91, accounting for 7.40 percent of monthly ARPU, while other revenue contributed Rs. 8.08, representing 4.01 percent.
Revenue from other value-added services (VAS) stood at Rs. 1.29, contributing 0.64 percent of ARPU. Rental revenue accounted for Rs. 1.13 or 0.56 percent, while SMS services generated only Rs. 0.34 per subscriber per month, representing just 0.17 percent of total wireless ARPU.
The latest TRAI data highlights India’s continued transition toward a data-driven telecom market, with rapidly growing 5G traffic and mobile internet usage driving subscriber spending, while traditional voice and messaging services contribute only a small portion of operator revenues.
BABURAJAN KIZHAKEDATH
