India’s telecom subscriber base hits 1.32 billion as broadband adoption surges in February

NEW DELHI: India’s total telephone subscriber base climbed to 1,321.31 million at the end of February 2026, according to the telecom subscription data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

As per TRAI, the sector recorded a net addition of 7.31 million subscribers during the month, reflecting an overall monthly growth rate of 0.56 per cent. This growth was largely underpinned by the broadband segment, which saw its user base rise from 1,052.72 million in January 2026 to 1,059.05 million by the end of February 2026.

In the competitive broadband market, Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. maintained its leadership position with a subscriber base of 519.64 million. Bharti Airtel Ltd. followed with 364.14 million, while Vodafone Idea Ltd. and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. reported 129.36 million and 28.70 million subscribers, respectively.

The report highlighted that the market share of the top five broadband service providers stood at a dominant 98.60 per cent. Within the fixed wired access broadband category, the hierarchy saw Reliance Jio at the top with 14.10 million users, followed by Bharti Airtel with 10.54 million and BSNL with 4.43 million.

The wireline segment grew, with the total number of subscribers increasing to 47.99 million. This represented a net increase of 0.34 million connections and a monthly growth rate of 0.70 per cent.

Urban subscribers constituted the vast majority of this segment at 89.41 per cent, while rural areas held a 10.59 per cent share. TRAI noted that PSU access service providers, including BSNL, MTNL, and APSFL “together held 19.12 per cent of the wireline market share at the end of February 2026.”

The wireless segment, encompassing both mobile and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), was also a driver of connectivity with 1,273.31 million subscribers. Urban centers accounted for 730.75 million of these connections, while rural subscriptions reached 542.56 million.

The data indicated that “the wireless tele-density in India increased from 88.87 per cent at the end of January 2026 to 89.30 per cent at the end of February 2026,” with urban areas maintaining a significantly higher density of 142.32 per cent.

Private access service providers continued to dominate this space, holding a 92.59 per cent market share, while public sector units BSNL and MTNL together held 7.41 per cent. Consumer mobility remained high during the period as “14.47 million subscribers submitted their requests for Mobile Number Portability” throughout the month.

Additionally, the number of active wireless subscribers reached 1,177.60 million on the date of peak VLR (Visitor Location Register). Overall tele-density in the country, factoring in M2M cellular mobile connections, reached 92.66 per cent. (ANI)