India crosses 1.09 billion internet subscribers as telecom use surges

MUMBAI: India’s telecom story is no longer just about getting connected, but about staying constantly connected. The latest TRAI numbers show the country’s digital appetite continuing to grow, with total internet subscribers crossing 1.09 billion by March 2026 even as data consumption, wireless subscriptions and telecom revenues all moved higher.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released its Indian Telecom Services Yearly Performance Indicators report for 2025-26, covering the period from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. The report tracks telecom services alongside cable TV, DTH and radio broadcasting, and is compiled mainly from information submitted by service providers.

India’s total internet subscriber base rose from 969.10 million at the end of March 2025 to 1,092.79 million in March 2026, marking a 12.76 per cent annual increase. Broadband accounted for the overwhelming majority at 1,065.88 million subscribers, while narrowband stood at 26.91 million.

Broadband subscriptions themselves increased 12.90 per cent, from 944.12 million to 1,065.88 million during the year. Narrowband subscriptions also grew, rising 7.72 per cent from 24.98 million to 26.91 million, showing that internet access continued to expand across different types of connections.

The bigger shift, however, is visible in how much data Indians are consuming. Wireless data usage climbed from 2,28,779 petabytes in 2024-25 to 2,85,376 petabytes in 2025-26, a 24.74 per cent increase, while the number of wireless data subscribers rose 9.29 per cent from 939.51 million to 1,026.75 million.

Average wireless data usage per subscriber per month also jumped 18.49 per cent, from 21.53 GB to 25.51 GB. At the same time, average revenue realisation per GB fell 10.59 per cent, from Rs 8.97 to Rs 8.02, pointing to a familiar telecom equation: consumers are using more data while the effective price per gigabyte continues to fall.

That appetite for data is also showing up in telecom revenues. Revenue from wireless data usage increased 11.53 per cent to Rs 2,39,874 crore in 2025-26 from Rs 2,15,078 crore a year earlier. Monthly ARPU for wireless services rose 3.59 per cent from Rs 174.46 to Rs 180.73, while prepaid ARPU stood at Rs 190.66 and postpaid ARPU at Rs 119.76.

Voice usage remained substantial as well, with average total minutes of usage per wireless subscriber reaching 950.11 minutes a month. Prepaid subscribers averaged 1,055 minutes, compared with 305 minutes for postpaid subscribers.

The overall telephone subscriber base rose 10.81 per cent from 1,200.80 million in March 2025 to 1,330.58 million in March 2026. India’s overall tele-density consequently increased from 85.04 per cent to 93.26 per cent, a 9.66 per cent yearly rise.

Urban India continued to account for the faster growth. Urban telephone subscriptions increased 16.92 per cent from 666.11 million to 778.79 million, pushing urban tele-density from 131.45 per cent to 151.47 per cent. Rural subscriptions grew at a slower 3.20 per cent, from 534.69 million to 551.79 million, while rural tele-density edged up from 59.06 per cent to 60.46 per cent.

The rural share of India’s telephone subscriptions consequently declined from 44.53 per cent in March 2025 to 41.47 per cent in March 2026. The numbers underline how rapidly urban connectivity is expanding, even as rural India continues to add subscribers.

Wireless services remain the backbone of the market. Wireless mobile and fixed wireless access subscribers increased 10.19 per cent to 1,282.33 million, with a net addition of 118.58 million subscribers during 2025-26. Wireless mobile subscribers alone reached 1,265.73 million, up 9.40 per cent, adding 108.74 million subscribers during the year.

But there was also a surprise revival in wireline connectivity. Wireline subscribers increased 30.25 per cent from 37.04 million to 48.25 million, taking wireline tele-density from 2.62 per cent to 3.38 per cent. Urban wireline tele-density rose from 6.62 per cent to 8.37 per cent, while rural wireline tele-density increased from 0.39 per cent to 0.57 per cent.

Private operators continued to dominate the telecom landscape, accounting for 92.32 per cent of total telephone subscribers compared with 7.68 per cent for public sector operators. Within wireless services, private operators held 92.74 per cent, while public sector operators accounted for 7.26 per cent.

The financial picture also strengthened. Gross revenue for telecom services rose 8.59 per cent from Rs 3,72,097 crore in 2024-25 to Rs 4,04,067 crore in 2025-26. Applicable Gross Revenue increased 7.12 per cent to Rs 3,81,645 crore, while Adjusted Gross Revenue climbed 10.44 per cent from Rs 3,03,025 crore to Rs 3,34,659 crore.

Pass-through charges, meanwhile, declined 13.63 per cent from Rs 52,879 crore to Rs 45,673 crore, with their share of gross revenue falling from 14.21 per cent to 11.30 per cent. Spectrum Usage Charges increased 6.12 per cent to Rs 4,040 crore, while licence fee collections rose 10.40 per cent to Rs 26,763 crore.

Access services remained the heavyweight of the telecom revenue mix, contributing 83.95 per cent of total Adjusted Gross Revenue. During 2025-26, Access services recorded increases of 7.32 per cent in Gross Revenue, 6.77 per cent in Applicable Gross Revenue, 10.85 per cent in Adjusted Gross Revenue, 10.84 per cent in licence fee and 6.26 per cent in Spectrum Usage Charges, while pass-through charges declined 16.46 per cent.

The connectivity boom sits alongside a more mixed picture for traditional broadcasting. As of 31 March 2026, around 917 private satellite TV channels had been permitted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, of which 908 were available for downlinking in India. Of those, 342 were pay channels, comprising 238 SD and 104 HD channels, while 566 were classified as free-to-air.

DTH, however, continued to lose ground. India had four pay DTH service providers at the end of March 2026, with a net pay active subscriber base of around 49.05 million, down from 56.92 million a year earlier.

Radio also faced pressure on advertising revenues despite a modest expansion in its station footprint. The number of operational private FM radio channels increased from 388 across 113 cities in March 2025 to 390 across 120 cities in March 2026, but reported FM radio advertising revenue fell from Rs 1,818.71 crore to Rs 1,616.42 crore.

Community radio moved in the opposite direction, with 564 operational stations by March 2026 compared with 531 a year earlier.

Taken together, TRAI’s numbers paint a telecom market where the centre of gravity is firmly shifting towards data-heavy connectivity. More than 1.09 billion internet subscribers, 25.51 GB of average monthly wireless data consumption and 2,85,376 PB of annual wireless data traffic show how deeply connectivity has moved into everyday life, while the contrasting fortunes of telecom, DTH and radio highlight the changing shape of India’s wider communications ecosystem.