Wireless data usage rises 24.7%; wireline subscribers grow 30.25% in 2025–26
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 05: India’s total number of internet subscribers crossed 1.09 billion by March 2026, rising 12.76% in a year, while the country’s overall telephone subscriber base reached 1.33 billion, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) Indian Telecom Services – Yearly Performance Indicators report for 2025–26.
The report, released on Monday, covers the period from April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026 and presents key trends in telecom, cable TV, DTH and radio broadcasting services.
Internet subscribers increased from 969.10 million at the end of March 2025 to 1,092.79 million at the end of March 2026. Of these, 1,065.88 million were broadband subscribers and 26.91 million were narrowband subscribers.
Data usage rises sharply
Wireless data subscribers increased from 939.51 million to 1,026.75 million, registering 9.29% growth during the year.
Total wireless data consumption rose from 2,28,779 petabytes (PB) in 2024–25 to 2,85,376 PB in 2025–26, an increase of 24.74%.
Average wireless data usage per subscriber increased from 21.53 GB to 25.51 GB per month, up 18.49%.
Despite the increase in data consumption, average revenue realisation per GB declined from ₹8.97 to ₹8.02, a 10.59% decline.
Revenue from wireless data usage increased from ₹2,15,078 crore to ₹2,39,874 crore, registering 11.53% growth.
Telephone subscriber base rises to 1.33 billion
India’s total telephone subscriber base increased from 1,200.80 million in March 2025 to 1,330.58 million in March 2026, registering 10.81% growth.
Overall tele-density rose from 85.04% to 93.26%.
Urban telephone subscriptions increased 16.92% to 778.79 million, while rural subscriptions grew 3.20% to 551.79 million.
Urban tele-density rose from 131.45% to 151.47%, while rural tele-density increased from 59.06% to 60.46%.
The share of rural telephone subscribers in the overall market declined from 44.53% to 41.47% during the year.
Wireless subscribers cross 1.28 billion
Total wireless subscribers, including mobile and fixed wireless access (FWA), increased by 10.19% to 1,282.33 million, with a net addition of 118.58 million subscribers during 2025–26.
Mobile subscribers alone increased 9.40% to 1,265.73 million, with a net addition of 108.74 million.
Wireless tele-density reached 89.88%, while urban wireless tele-density stood at 143.10% and rural wireless tele-density at 59.89%.
Wireline subscriptions recorded a sharper increase, rising 30.25% from 37.04 million to 48.25 million.
Telecom revenues rise 10.44% on AGR basis
The telecom sector’s Gross Revenue increased 8.59% from ₹3,72,097 crore in 2024–25 to ₹4,04,067 crore in 2025–26.
Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) rose 10.44% from ₹3,03,025 crore to ₹3,34,659 crore.
Applicable Gross Revenue increased 7.12% to ₹3,81,645 crore.
Access services accounted for 83.95% of total AGR from telecom services.
Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) for wireless services increased from ₹174.46 to ₹180.73 per month, a 3.59% rise.
Average monthly wireless usage stood at 950.11 minutes per subscriber, while average wireless data revenue per data subscriber per month was ₹245.66.
Private operators retain dominant market share
Private operators accounted for 92.32% of the total telephone subscriber market, compared with 7.68% for public sector operators.
In wireless services, private operators held a 92.74% market share, while public sector operators accounted for 7.26%.
DTH subscriber base declines
The number of private satellite TV channels permitted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting stood at 917 as of March 31, 2026, of which 908 were available for downlinking in India.
There were 342 satellite pay TV channels, including 238 standard-definition and 104 high-definition channels.
The active subscriber base of private pay DTH operators declined from 56.92 million in March 2025 to 49.05 million in March 2026.
Four private pay DTH service providers were operational during the year.
Private FM radio stations increase to 390
The number of operational private FM radio channels increased from 388 across 113 cities in March 2025 to 390 across 120 cities in March 2026.
However, FM radio advertisement revenue declined from ₹1,818.71 crore to ₹1,616.42 crore.
The number of operational community radio stations increased from 531 to 564 during the year.
