India’s broadband market continued its growth momentum in May 2026, with the total number of broadband subscribers rising to 1,080.15 million from 1,073.44 million in April, according to the latest data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The addition of 6.71 million broadband connections represents a monthly growth rate of 0.63 percent, driven by expansion in fixed wireless access (FWA), wired broadband, and mobile broadband services.
Among broadband technologies, wired broadband subscriptions increased from 46.84 million to 47.40 million, registering the fastest growth among traditional fixed services at 1.18 percent. Wireless broadband, including 5G FWA, Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, Radio/UBR, and satellite, grew from 17.54 million to 17.97 million, reflecting a robust 2.46 percent monthly increase. Mobile wireless broadband subscribers rose from 1,009.06 million to 1,014.79 million, growing 0.57 percent.
Jio Dominates India’s Broadband Market
Reliance Jio remained India’s largest broadband provider with 529.61 million subscribers at the end of May 2026. Bharti Airtel retained the second position with 376.11 million subscribers, followed by Vodafone Idea with 129.21 million, BSNL with 27.52 million, and Atria Convergence Technologies with 2.43 million broadband subscribers.
Jio Leads Wired Broadband, Kerala Vision Retains Top Five Position
In the fixed wired broadband segment, Reliance Jio led the market with 14.47 million subscribers. Bharti Airtel followed with 10.98 million, while BSNL served 4.50 million customers. Atria Convergence Technologies ranked fourth with 2.43 million, and Kerala Vision Broadband secured the fifth position with 1.51 million subscribers.
Wireless Broadband Market Driven by Jio and Airtel
Across wireless broadband services, including fixed wireless and mobile access, Reliance Jio maintained leadership with 515.14 million subscribers. Bharti Airtel followed with 365.13 million, Vodafone Idea with 129.21 million, BSNL with 23.02 million, and iBus Virtual Network Services with 0.12 million subscribers.
Wireline Subscribers Continue Gradual Growth
India’s wireline subscriber base increased from 48.58 million in April to 48.64 million in May 2026, adding 0.06 million subscribers and posting a monthly growth rate of 0.12 percent. Overall wireline tele-density improved slightly from 3.402 percent to 3.405 percent.
Urban wireline tele-density stood at 8.41 percent, while rural wireline tele-density remained significantly lower at 0.58 percent. Urban users accounted for 89.13 percent of total wireline subscribers, compared with 10.87 percent in rural India.
Wireless Subscriber Base Nears 1.3 Billion
India’s total wireless subscriber base, including mobile and fixed wireless access, increased from 1,288.96 million to 1,294.46 million during May, representing a monthly growth rate of 0.43 percent.
Urban wireless subscriptions grew from 739.78 million to 744.36 million, while rural subscriptions increased from 549.18 million to 550.11 million. Monthly growth reached 0.62 percent in urban areas and 0.17 percent in rural regions.
Wireless tele-density improved from 90.28 percent to 90.61 percent nationwide. Urban wireless tele-density increased from 143.69 percent to 144.39 percent, while rural tele-density rose from 60.16 percent to 60.25 percent. Urban subscribers represented 57.50 percent of India’s wireless users, with rural subscribers accounting for 42.50 percent.
Mobile Subscriber Base Reaches 1.277 Billion
Wireless mobile subscribers increased from 1,271.90 million in April to 1,277.00 million in May 2026, recording monthly growth of 0.40 percent.
Urban mobile subscriptions climbed from 730.30 million to 734.63 million, while rural mobile subscriptions rose from 541.60 million to 542.36 million. Urban mobile subscriptions grew 0.59 percent, compared with 0.14 percent growth in rural markets.
Mobile tele-density improved from 89.09 percent to 89.39 percent nationwide. Urban mobile tele-density increased from 141.85 percent to 142.50 percent, while rural tele-density rose from 59.33 percent to 59.40 percent. Urban customers accounted for 57.53 percent of total mobile subscribers, while rural users represented 42.47 percent.
5G FWA Continues Rapid Expansion
India’s 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) subscriber base expanded from 12.55 million in April to 12.73 million in May 2026. Urban areas accounted for 6.35 million subscribers, while rural India slightly surpassed urban adoption with 6.39 million subscribers. Rural users represented 50.16 percent of total 5G FWA subscribers compared with 49.84 percent in urban areas.
Airtel Maintains Leadership in M2M Connections
Bharti Airtel continued to dominate India’s machine-to-machine (M2M) cellular connectivity market with 80.83 million connections and a 61.65 percent market share. Reliance Jio followed with 19.14 percent, Vodafone Idea held 16.02 percent, and BSNL accounted for 3.19 percent of the M2M market.
Active Mobile Subscribers Remain Above 93 Percent
TRAI data showed that 1,195.74 million of India’s 1,277.00 million wireless mobile subscribers were active during the peak Visitor Location Register (VLR) period in May 2026. Active subscribers represented 93.64 percent of the country’s total wireless mobile subscriber base, indicating consistently high network usage across telecom operators.
SHAFANA FAZAL