India’s Telecom Subscriber Base Rises 10.8% to 1.33 Billion as Broadband Crosses 1.06 Billion

India’s telecom subscriber base expanded sharply during 2025–26, with the total number of telephone connections rising to 1.33 billion by the end of March 2026, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s latest annual performance report.

TRAI’s Indian Telecom Services Yearly Performance Indicators 2025–26, released on October 5, shows that total telephone subscriptions increased from 1,200.80 million in March 2025 to 1,330.58 million in March 2026, representing annual growth of 10.81%.

The report also points to rapid growth in broadband, wireless data consumption and fixed wireless access, reinforcing the scale of India’s transition towards a more data-intensive telecom market.

Overall Tele-Density Rises to 93.26%

India’s overall tele-density increased from 85.04% in March 2025 to 93.26% in March 2026.

Urban tele-density rose particularly strongly, climbing from 131.45% to 151.47% over the year. Urban telephone subscriptions increased from 666.11 million to 778.79 million, an annual rise of 16.92%.

Rural connectivity also improved, although at a slower pace. Rural telephone subscriptions increased from 534.69 million to 551.79 million, while rural tele-density rose from 59.06% to 60.46%.

The difference between urban and rural growth indicates that India’s telecom expansion remains uneven, with substantial scope for deeper connectivity in rural and remote regions.

Wireless Connections Drive Most of the Growth

Wireless services continued to dominate India’s telecom market.

The number of wireless connections, including mobile and fixed wireless access, increased from 1,163.76 million in March 2025 to 1,282.33 million in March 2026, representing annual growth of 10.19%.

Wireless mobile connections alone rose from 1,156.99 million to 1,265.73 million, adding more than 108 million connections during the year.

Wireline connections stood at 48.25 million at the end of March 2026, showing that fixed networks remain much smaller than mobile but are becoming increasingly relevant as fibre broadband expands.

Broadband Subscriber Base Crosses 1.06 Billion

Broadband recorded one of the strongest increases in the sector.

The number of broadband subscribers rose from 944.12 million in March 2025 to 1,065.88 million in March 2026, an annual growth rate of 12.90%.

India’s total internet subscriber base also crossed the one-billion mark, rising from 969.10 million to 1,092.79 million during the same period.

Broadband now accounts for the overwhelming majority of internet connections, while narrowband subscriptions stood at just 26.91 million by March 2026.

The numbers underline how decisively India’s telecom market has moved away from basic voice connectivity towards high-speed data access.

Wireless Data Consumption Jumps Nearly 25%

India’s telecom expansion is increasingly being driven not merely by the number of users, but by how much data each user consumes.

Total wireless data usage increased from 228,779 petabytes in 2024–25 to 285,376 petabytes in 2025–26, representing annual growth of 24.74%.

Average monthly wireless data usage per subscriber also rose from 21.53 GB to 25.51 GB, an increase of 18.49%.

This growth reflects greater use of video streaming, digital payments, cloud applications, social media, online education and app-based services across smartphones and connected devices.

Data Becomes Cheaper Per Gigabyte

Even as consumption increased, the average revenue realised by operators per gigabyte continued to decline.

TRAI reported that average revenue realisation per GB fell from ₹8.97 in 2024–25 to ₹8.02 in 2025–26, a decline of 10.59%.

Lower effective data costs have been one of the defining characteristics of India’s digital expansion, enabling much higher usage volumes and making mobile internet accessible to a wider population.

Despite the reduction in revenue per GB, total wireless data revenue increased by 11.53% to ₹2.40 lakh crore, reflecting the much larger volume of data being consumed.

ARPU Continues to Improve

Average Revenue Per User for wireless services increased from ₹174.46 per month in 2024–25 to ₹180.73 in 2025–26.

The improvement suggests that higher overall usage and evolving tariff structures are helping operators increase revenue per subscriber even while individual gigabytes remain relatively inexpensive.

For the telecom industry, this combination of growing consumption and improving ARPU provides a stronger basis for continued investment in 5G, fibre and network capacity.

Fixed Wireless Access Adds a New Growth Layer

Fixed Wireless Access is emerging as an increasingly important part of India’s broadband landscape.

By March 2026, India had more than 16 million FWA connections, reflecting the rapid deployment of 5G-based home and enterprise broadband services.

FWA allows operators to provide high-speed broadband without laying fibre directly to every premises, making it particularly useful in locations where last-mile fibre deployment is difficult or expensive.

As 5G coverage expands, fixed wireless broadband could become an important bridge between mobile connectivity and traditional fixed-line broadband.

India’s Internet Economy Gains a Larger Infrastructure Base

The growth in subscriptions comes as India’s digital economy becomes increasingly dependent on reliable high-speed connectivity.

Digital payments, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, online commerce, streaming, e-governance and industrial digitisation all rely on telecom networks capable of handling much larger data volumes.

The rise in broadband connections and data consumption therefore represents more than growth in telecom usage. It provides the underlying infrastructure for a broader shift towards digitally delivered services across the economy.

One Important Reporting Change Needs Context

TRAI has also highlighted an important methodological point in the 2025–26 figures.

Bharti Airtel had not previously included its machine-to-machine cellular connections in its wireless subscriber base, while other operators did. The company has now submitted revised figures for 2025–26 that include these connections.

TRAI accordingly recalculated the wireless subscriber base using the revised data. This change contributed to the sharp increase reported during the year and should be considered when comparing the latest figures directly with earlier periods.

Even with that statistical adjustment, the broader trends in broadband growth, data consumption and network usage show clear expansion across India’s telecom ecosystem.

India’s Telecom Market Enters a Higher-Usage Phase

India’s telecom growth is now increasingly defined by the transition from connectivity to intensive digital usage.

With 1.33 billion telephone connections, more than 1.06 billion broadband subscriptions and average monthly wireless data consumption above 25 GB per subscriber, the country has built one of the world’s largest connected-user bases.

The next phase will depend less on simply adding SIM cards and more on improving network quality, expanding rural broadband, increasing fibre penetration and supporting higher-value applications across 5G and future networks.

India’s telecom infrastructure is therefore moving into a new stage—one where the scale of connectivity is increasingly matched by the depth of digital usage across households, businesses and public services.

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References

1. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India — The Indian Telecom Services Yearly Performance Indicators 2025–26, October 5, 2026.
2. Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Communications — The Indian Telecom Services Yearly Performance Indicators for the year 2025–26, October 5, 2026.
3. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India — Telecom Subscription Data as on March 2026.
4. TRAI — Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicator Report, January–March 2026.

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