India’s telecom base tops 1.34 billion as June adds nearly 5 million users

MUMBAI: India’s telecom network isn’t just expanding, it’s dialling up another milestone every month. The country’s total telephone subscriber base climbed to 1.348 billion at the end of June 2026, adding 4.98 million users during the month, even as wireline connections continued to decline and broadband adoption gathered pace.

According to the latest subscriber data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the total number of telephone subscribers rose from 1.343 billion in May to 1.348 billion in June, representing a monthly growth of 0.37 per cent. Overall tele-density also improved from 94.02 per cent to 94.31 per cent during the month.

The gains were driven almost entirely by wireless services. India’s wireless subscriber base, including mobile and fixed wireless access (FWA), increased by 5.79 million to 1.300 billion, while wireline subscribers fell by 0.81 million to 47.82 million, marking a 1.67 per cent monthly decline.

Broadband adoption also continued its upward trajectory. Total broadband subscribers increased from 1.080 billion in May to 1.087 billion in June, a monthly growth of 0.68 per cent. Mobile broadband remained the dominant segment with 1.021 billion subscribers, while fixed wired broadband reached 47.71 million and fixed wireless access subscribers rose to 18.36 million.

Reliance Jio retained its lead in the broadband market with 532.21 million subscribers, followed by Bharti Airtel at 379.97 million, Vodafone Idea with 130.13 million, BSNL at 27.44 million and Atria Convergence Technologies with 2.45 million. Together, the top five providers accounted for 98.59 per cent of India’s broadband subscriber base.

Wireless mobile subscriptions also edged higher, rising from 1.277 billion to 1.282 billion. Among operators, Bharti Airtel added the highest number of mobile subscribers during June, gaining 2.99 million users. Reliance Jio followed with 2.15 million additions, while Vodafone Idea added 163,757 subscribers. BSNL gained 94,006 users, whereas MTNL lost 11,284 subscribers during the month.

The report also highlighted growing adoption of 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services. Subscribers increased from 12.73 million in May to 12.94 million in June, with rural users marginally outnumbering urban subscribers.

Machine-to-machine (M2M) connectivity continued to expand as well. M2M cellular mobile connections rose from 131.11 million to 134.73 million, with Bharti Airtel commanding the largest share at 61.44 per cent, followed by Reliance Jio (19.12 per cent), Vodafone Idea (16.05 per cent) and BSNL (3.40 per cent).

Consumer churn remained high. During June, 14.78 million subscribers submitted requests for Mobile Number Portability (MNP), up from 14.46 million in May. UP (East) recorded the highest number of portability requests in Zone I at 2.10 million, while Madhya Pradesh led Zone II with 1.40 million requests.

Meanwhile, 1.201 billion wireless subscribers were active on the date of peak Visitor Location Register (VLR), representing 93.66 per cent of the total mobile subscriber base. Bharti Airtel recorded the highest proportion of active subscribers among major operators, with a VLR ratio of 99.27 per cent.

The June data underscores a familiar trend in India’s telecom market: mobile and broadband services continue to power subscriber growth, while fixed-line telephony steadily loses ground. As 5G, FWA and AI-driven digital services gather momentum, the country’s telecom sector is increasingly becoming the backbone of India’s expanding digital economy.