TRAI reports telecom subscriber surge in April 2026

MUMBAI: India’s telecom industry is staying well-connected and showing no signs of hanging up. According to the latest data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on 26 May 2026, the country’s total telephone subscribers reached 1,337.54 million at the end of April 2026, adding a solid 6.95 million net connections during the month. This represents a monthly growth rate of 0.52 per cent. Wireless subscribers stood at 1,288.96 million, contributing the bulk of the growth with 6.63 million new additions. Wireline subscribers grew modestly by 0.33 million to reach 48.58 million. Broadband subscribers crossed the significant milestone of 1,073.44 million, up from 1,065.88 million in March, clocking a healthy monthly growth of 0.71 per cent.

Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. continued its dominance in the broadband space with 526.94 million subscribers, followed by Bharti Airtel at 373 million and Vodafone Idea at 128.92 million. The top five broadband providers together command a massive 98.61 per cent market share.

Urban areas remain the growth engines with 783.12 million telephone subscribers and a tele-density of 152.11 per cent, while rural subscribers stood at 554.41 million with a tele-density of 60.74 per cent. Overall tele-density across India improved to 93.69 per cent.

The active wireless subscriber base (based on peak VLR) was 1,193.57 million, indicating strong usage. Notably, 14.74 million subscribers submitted requests for Mobile Number Portability in April, reflecting healthy competition in the market.

With fixed wireless access (FWA) and 5G services gaining traction, India’s digital infrastructure story continues to unfold at a rapid pace. The numbers underline robust demand for data services even as the sector matures, keeping the lines buzzing across both cities and villages.