India adds 5.56 million telecom users as broadband tops 1.08 billion

MUMBAI: India’s telecom engine isn’t just ringing, it is dialling up another growth story. India’s telecom sector stayed firmly connected to growth in May 2026, adding 5.56 million new telephone subscribers to take the country’s total subscriber base to 1.343 billion, according to the latest data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). Broadband adoption also crossed another milestone, rising past 1.08 billion users, while 14.46 million subscribers opted to switch operators without changing their numbers.

The latest figures show India’s total telephone subscriber base climbed from 1.33754 billion in April to 1.34310 billion in May, registering a 0.42 per cent monthly growth. Urban India added 4.59 million subscribers to reach 787.71 million, while rural subscriptions grew by 0.98 million to 555.39 million, underscoring continued expansion beyond the metros. Overall tele-density also improved from 93.69 per cent to 94.02 per cent, with urban tele-density touching 152.80 per cent and rural tele-density rising to 60.83 per cent.

Wireless services continued to do the heavy lifting. India’s wireless subscriber base, including mobile and fixed wireless access (FWA), rose by 5.50 million to 1.29446 billion, marking a 0.43 per cent monthly increase. Urban wireless subscriptions reached 744.36 million, while rural subscriptions climbed to 550.11 million. Wireless tele-density increased to 90.61 per cent, with urban and rural figures standing at 144.39 per cent and 60.25 per cent, respectively.

Broadband maintained its upward march, with total subscribers increasing from 1.07344 billion to 1.08015 billion, a monthly growth of 0.63 per cent. Mobile wireless broadband remained the biggest contributor with 1.01479 billion subscribers, while fixed wired broadband reached 47.40 million and fixed wireless access expanded to 17.97 million.

Reliance Jio retained its lead in the broadband market with 529.61 million subscribers, followed by Bharti Airtel at 376.11 million and Vodafone Idea with 129.21 million. BSNL stood fourth with 27.52 million subscribers, while Atria Convergence Technologies rounded out the top five with 2.43 million. Together, these five operators accounted for 98.59 per cent of India’s broadband market.

Wireline services also edged higher, with subscribers increasing from 48.58 million to 48.64 million, adding 60,094 connections during the month. The wireline segment recorded a modest 0.12 per cent monthly growth, while public sector operators BSNL, MTNL and APSFL together held 18.40 per cent of the market.

India’s growing appetite for high-speed connectivity was reflected in the expansion of 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), whose subscriber base increased from 12.55 million to 12.73 million. Overall FWA subscribers, including UBR technology, stood at 17.47 million by the end of May. Meanwhile, machine-to-machine (M2M) cellular connections rose from 127.48 million to 131.11 million, with Bharti Airtel leading the segment with 80.83 million connections and a 61.65 per cent market share.

Consumer churn remained strong as well. During May, 14.46 million subscribers submitted requests for Mobile Number Portability (MNP), highlighting sustained competition among telecom operators. At the same time, India’s wireless network remained highly active, with 1.19574 billion mobile subscribers about 93.64 per cent of the total wireless base active on the peak Visitor Location Register (VLR) date during the month.

The latest TRAI data suggests India’s telecom sector continues to grow on multiple fronts simultaneously from mobile and broadband to 5G FWA and M2M connectivity reinforcing the country’s position as one of the world’s fastest-expanding digital communications markets.