Telecom Subscriber Base Rises to 1.34 Billion in May; Broadband Crosses 1.08 Billion: TRAI
New Delhi, June 25 (TNT): India’s total telephone subscriber base increased by 5.56 million to 1.343 billion at the end of May 2026, registering a monthly growth rate of 0.42 per cent, according to a report released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
The total wireless subscriber base, including mobile and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), rose from 1,288.96 million in April to 1,294.46 million in May, while the wireline subscriber base increased marginally from 48.58 million to 48.64 million during the month, the Regulatory Authority said in a release here on Friday.
According to TRAI’s monthly telecom subscription report, broadband subscriptions also witnessed steady growth, rising from 1,073.44 million in April to 1,080.15 million in May, registering a monthly growth rate of 0.63 per cent.
Reliance Jio continued to lead the broadband market with 529.61 million subscribers, followed by Bharti Airtel with 376.11 million and Vodafone Idea with 129.21 million subscribers.
The report said the number of wireless (mobile) subscribers increased to 1,277 million at the end of May from 1,271.90 million in April, recording a monthly growth rate of 0.40 per cent. Urban wireless subscriptions rose to 734.63 million, while rural subscriptions increased to 542.36 million.
The overall wireless tele-density improved from 90.28 per cent in April to 90.61 per cent in May. Urban wireless tele-density increased to 144.39 per cent, while rural tele-density rose to 60.25 per cent.
The overall tele-density in the country also increased from 93.69 per cent to 94.02 per cent during the month. Urban tele-density stood at 152.80 per cent, while rural tele-density reached 60.83 per cent.
TRAI said 14.46 million subscribers submitted requests for Mobile Number Portability (MNP) during May, taking the cumulative number of MNP requests to a new high.
The number of active wireless subscribers, based on the peak Visitor Location Register (VLR), stood at 1,195.74 million at the end of May.
The report noted that Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services continued to expand. The number of 5G FWA subscribers increased from 12.55 million in April to 12.73 million in May. Total FWA subscribers reached 17.47 million by the end of the month.
Machine-to-Machine (M2M) cellular mobile connections also recorded healthy growth, increasing from 127.48 million to 131.11 million. Bharti Airtel led the segment with 80.83 million M2M connections, accounting for 61.65 per cent of the market, followed by Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea and BSNL.
Among wireless service providers, private telecom operators accounted for 92.71 per cent of the mobile subscriber base, while public sector operators BSNL and MTNL together held a market share of 7.29 per cent.
The TRAI report further stated that all telecom circles, except Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Mumbai and Haryana, recorded growth in wireless subscribers during May 2026.
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