According to data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), India’s telecommunications sector recorded a monthly growth rate of 0.70 per cent. The wireless segment continued to drive growth, contributing 9.02 million new subscribers, while wireline services added 0.25 million users during the month. The sector added 9.28 million subscribers in March 2026, taking the total number of telephone users to 1,330.58 million.
The report stated that the broadband segment reached 1,065.88 million subscribers, with a net addition of 6.83 million users over the previous month. As per inputs from 1,520 operators, the broadband base rose from 1,059.05 million at the end of February 2026 to 1,065.88 million at the end of March, registering a monthly growth rate of 0.65 per cent.
Meanwhile, Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited reached 523.44 million subscribers, followed by Bharti Airtel with 368.84 million and Vodafone Idea Limited with 128.91 million.
Geographically, urban areas accounted for 778.79 million telephone subscribers, while rural regions had 551.79 million users. In the wireless segment, rural growth slightly outpaced urban expansion in percentage terms. Rural wireless subscriptions grew by 0.74 per cent, adding 4.04 million users, compared to a 0.68 per cent increase in urban areas, which added 4.98 million users.
Further, the report mentioned that the total number of wireless subscribers (mobile and fixed wireless access) increased from 1,273.31 million at the end of February 2026 to 1,282.33 million at the end of March, reflecting a monthly growth rate of 0.71 per cent.
The market remained highly concentrated, with the top five broadband providers accounting for 98.60 per cent of the total subscriber base. Beyond the top three private operators, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) had 27.37 million broadband users, while Atria Convergence Technologies Limited had 2.40 million.
Furthermore, private telecom operators continued to dominate the wireless segment, holding a 92.64 per cent market share, while public sector providers BSNL and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) together accounted for 7.36 per cent.
Overall tele-density in India increased to 93.26 per cent at the end of March. Urban tele-density stood at 151.47 per cent, while rural tele-density was recorded at 60.46 per cent. Excluding machine-to-machine cellular connections, the national tele-density stood at 84.57 per cent.
