TRAI May 2026 Telecom Data: Airtel Leads Mobile Subscriber Gains, Jio Tops Broadband and 5G FWA
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has now released its telecom subscriber data for the month of May 2026, revealing India’s total telephone subscriber base increased to 1,343.10 million at the end of May 2026, with a net subscriber addition of 5.56 million.
Read more about the update below.
TRAI May 2026 Telecom Subscriber Data Released; Airtel Records Highest Mobile Subscriber Addition, Jio Leads Broadband and 5G FWA
As per the latest data shared by TRAI, India’s total telephone subscribers increased to 1,343.10 million at the end of May 2026, registering a monthly growth rate of 0.42%. The total broadband subscriber base also increased to 1,080.15 million, while 14.46 million subscribers submitted Mobile Number Portability requests during the month.
Speaking more, active wireless/mobile subscribers on the peak VLR date stood at 1,195.74 million. The overall tele-density with M2M connections was recorded at 94.02%, while tele-density without M2M cellular mobile connections stood at 84.84%.
| Key Highlights | May 2026 Data |
|---|---|
| Total telephone subscribers | 1,343.10 million |
| Net subscriber addition | 5.56 million |
| Monthly growth rate | 0.42% |
| Total broadband subscribers | 1,080.15 million |
| MNP requests submitted | 14.46 million |
| Active wireless/mobile subscribers on peak VLR date | 1,195.74 million |
| Tele-density with M2M connections | 94.02% |
| Tele-density without M2M cellular mobile connections | 84.84% |
Looking at the wireless mobile segment first, Bharti Airtel recorded the highest subscriber gain in May 2026 by adding 2,926,907 users. Reliance Jio followed with 2,154,468 net additions, while Vodafone Idea also added 121,289 subscribers during the month. On the other hand, BSNL and MTNL witnessed subscriber decline, losing 104,660 and 3,803 users respectively.
| Operator | Wireless Mobile Net Addition/Decline |
| Bharti Airtel | 2,926,907 |
| Reliance Jio | 2,154,468 |
| Vodafone Idea | 121,289 |
| Reliance Communications | 0 |
| MTNL | -3,803 |
| BSNL | -104,660 |
Wireless mobile subscribers increased from 1,271.90 million in April 2026 to 1,277.00 million in May 2026, registering a monthly growth rate of 0.40%. Urban wireless mobile subscribers stood at 734.63 million, while rural wireless mobile subscribers were recorded at 542.36 million. Private operators held 92.71% of the wireless mobile market, whereas PSUs BSNL and MTNL together held 7.29%.
Reliance Jio continued to hold the largest wireless mobile market share at 39.27%, followed closely by Bharti Airtel with 37.89%. Vodafone Idea held 15.56% share, while BSNL and MTNL held 7.28% and 0.01% respectively.
| Wireless Mobile Operator | Market Share |
| Reliance Jio | 39.27% |
| Bharti Airtel | 37.89% |
| Vodafone Idea | 15.56% |
| BSNL | 7.28% |
| MTNL | 0.01% |
Coming to broadband subscribers, the total user base increased from 1,073.44 million in April 2026 to 1,080.15 million in May 2026, registering a monthly growth rate of 0.63%. Wired broadband subscribers grew from 46.84 million to 47.40 million, Fixed Wireless Access broadband users increased from 17.54 million to 17.97 million, and mobile wireless broadband subscribers rose from 1,009.06 million to 1,014.79 million.
The broadband market with 529.61 million subscribers and 49.03% market share is still dominated by Reliance Jio, followed by Bharti Airtel with 376.11 million subscribers and 34.82% market share. Vodafone Idea stood at the third position with 129.21 million subscribers and 11.96% market share. Together, the top five broadband providers held 98.59% market share.
| Broadband Provider | Subscribers | Market Share |
| Reliance Jio | 529.61 million | 49.03% |
| Bharti Airtel | 376.11 million | 34.82% |
| Vodafone Idea | 129.21 million | 11.96% |
| BSNL | 27.52 million | 2.55% |
| Atria Convergence Technologies | 2.43 million | 0.23% |
| Others | – | 1.41% |
Speaking more, wireline subscribers increased from 48.58 million in April 2026 to 48.64 million in May 2026, with a net addition of 0.06 million and a monthly growth rate of 0.12%. Reliance Jio recorded the highest wireline subscriber gain by adding 101,425 users, followed by Bharti Airtel with 53,809 additions.
| Operator | Wireline Net Addition/Decline |
| Reliance Jio | 101,425 |
| Bharti Airtel | 53,809 |
| STPL | 18 |
| Reliance Communications | 0 |
| Quadrant | -1,894 |
| APSFL | -6,786 |
| Tata Tele | -10,607 |
| Vodafone Idea | -13,865 |
| MTNL | -30,668 |
| BSNL | -31,338 |
In the wireline market, Reliance Jio held the highest market share at 31.83%, followed by Bharti Airtel with 24.30%, Tata Tele with 22.78%, BSNL with 15.28%, and MTNL with 2.47%.
| Wireline Operator | Market Share |
| Reliance Jio | 31.83% |
| Bharti Airtel | 24.30% |
| Tata Tele | 22.78% |
| BSNL | 15.28% |
| MTNL | 2.47% |
| Vodafone Idea | 1.74% |
| Quadrant | 0.67% |
| APSFL | 0.64% |
For Fixed Wireless Access, 5G FWA subscribers increased from 12.55 million to 12.73 million in May 2026 and here also Reliance Jio lead this segment with 8,968,567 subscribers and also recorded the highest net addition of 174,817 users. Bharti Airtel had 3,764,262 5G FWA subscribers and added 7,773 users during the month.
| 5G FWA Provider | Subscribers | Net Addition |
| Reliance Jio | 8,968,567 | 174,817 |
| Bharti Airtel | 3,764,262 | 7,773 |
| Total | 12,732,829 | 182,590 |
Speaking more, urban 5G FWA subscribers stood at 6.35 million, while rural subscribers stood at 6.39 million. Urban share in 5G FWA was recorded at 49.84%, whereas rural share stood at 50.16%.
Overall, Bharti Airtel recorded the highest gain in the wireless mobile segment, while Reliance Jio led the broadband market, wireline additions, and 5G FWA subscriber additions in May 2026.
Stay tuned for more updates.
