Particulars	Wireless*	Wireline	Total (Wireless+ Wireline)
Broadband Subscribers (Million)	1026.60	46.84	1073.44
Urban Telephone Subscribers (Million)	739.78	43.34	783.12
Net Addition in April 2026 (Million)	4.05	0.29	4.33
Monthly Growth Rate	0.55%	0.67%	0.56%
Rural Telephone Subscribers (Million)	549.18	5.23	554.41
Net Addition in April 2026 (Million)	2.58	0.04	2.62
Monthly Growth Rate	0.47%	0.76%	0.47%
Total Telephone Subscribers (Million)	1288.96	48.58	1337.54
Net Addition in April 2026 (Million)	6.63	0.33	6.95
Monthly Growth Rate	0.52%	0.68%	0.52%
Share of Urban Subscribers	57.39%	89.23%	58.55%
Share of Rural Subscribers	42.61%	10.77%	41.45%
Overall Tele-density@ with M2M cellular mobile connections	90.28%	3.40%	93.69%
Urban Tele-density@	143.69%	8.42%	152.11%
Rural Tele-density@	60.16%	0.57%	60.74%
Tele-density@ without M2M cellular mobile connections	81.36%	3.40%	84.76%

 

• In the month of April 2026, 14.74 million subscribers submitted their requests for Mobile Number Portability (MNP).                                                                
• The number of active wireless (mobile) subscribers (on the date of peak VLR^#) in April 2026 was 1193.57 million.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Note:

^*  The wireless subscriber base comprises of wireless mobile telephone subscribers (including M2M cellular mobile connections), and FWA subscribers.

@ Tele-density has been computed on the basis of the projection of population from the ‘Report of the Technical Group on Population Projections for India and States 2011 – 2036’, published in July 2020.

# VLR is an acronym of Visitor Location Register. The dates of peak VLR for various Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) may be different in different service areas.

• Information in this press release is based on the data provided by the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) to TRAI.

1. Broadband Subscribers

• As per the information received from 1538 operators for the month of April 2026, the total number of broadband subscribers increased from 1065.88 million at the end of March 2026 to 1073.44 million at the end of April 2026 with a monthly growth rate of 0.71%. Segment-wise number of broadband subscribers and their monthly growth rates are as below: -                             

Segment–wise Broadband Subscribers and Monthly Growth Rate in the month of April 2026

Segment	Subscription	Broadband Subscribers (in million)		Percentage Change
		March 2026	April 2026
Wired subscribers	Fixed Wired Access (DSL, FTTx, Ethernet/LAN, Cable Modem, ILL)	46.51	46.84	0.71%
Wireless Subscribers	Fixed Wireless Access (5G FWA, Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, Radio/UBR, Satellite)	17.10	17.54	2.53%
	Mobile Wireless Access (Handset/Dongle/M2M-based-3G, 4G, 5G)	1002.27	1009.06	0.68%
Total Broadband Subscriptions		1065.88	1073.44	0.71%

Top five Broadband (Wired & Wireless) Service providers at the end of   April 2026

 

• The graphical representation of the service provider-wise market share of broadband services is given below: -

Service Provider-wise Market Share of Broadband                                          (Wired & Wireless) Services at the end of April 2026

Top Five Fixed Wired Access Broadband Service providers at the end of April 2026

 

Top five Wireless (Fixed wireless & mobile) Access Broadband Service  providers at the end of April 2026

 

2. Wireline Telephone Subscriber Base

• The number of wireline subscribers increased from 48.25 million at the end of March 2026 to 48.58 million at the end of April 2026. The net increase in the wireline subscriber base was 0.33 million with a monthly growth rate of 0.68%.                  
• The overall wireline tele-density in India increased from 3.38% at the end of March 2026 to 3.40% at the of April 2026. Urban and rural wireline tele-density were 8.42% and 0.57% respectively, at the end of April 2026.  The respective share of urban subscribers, and rural subscribers in total wireline subscribers were 89.23% and 10.77% respectively at the end of April 2026.
• PSU access service providers viz. BSNL, MTNL, and APSFL together held 18.56% of the wireline market share at the end of April 2026. Detailed statistics of the wireline subscriber base are available at Annexure-I. 

Access Service Provider-wise Market Share of wireline Subscribers at the end of April 2026

• The net addition/ decline in the wireline subscriber base of various access service providers in the month of April 2026 is given below:

Access Service Provider-wise Net Addition/Decline in Wireline Subscribers during the month of April 2026 

 

3. Wireless Telephone (Mobile + FWA) Subscriber Base

•   The number of wireless (mobile + Fixed Wireless Access) subscribers increased from 1282.33 million at the end of March 2026 to 1288.96 million at the end of April 2026, thereby registering a monthly growth rate of 0.52%. Total wireless subscription in urban areas increased from 735.73 million on 31^st March 2026 to 739.78 million on  30^th April 2026. The subscription in rural areas also increased from 546.60 million to 549.18 million during the same period. The monthly growth rate of urban and rural wireless subscriptions was 0.55% and 0.47%, respectively.       

 

• The wireless tele-density in India increased from 89.88% at the end of March 2026 to 90.28% at the end of April 2026. The urban wireless tele-density increased from 143.10% at the end of March 2026 to 143.69% at the end of April 2026. The rural wireless tele-density increased from 59.89% to 60.16% during the same period. The share of urban and rural wireless subscribers in the total number of wireless subscribers was 57.39% and 42.61%, respectively, at the end of April 2026.

Note: In the calculation of Tele-density figures, M2M cellular mobile connections have also been included.

•  The details of wireless (mobile) subscribers and wireless (FWA) subscribers are given below:

(A) Wireless (mobile) subscriber Base

• The number of wireless (mobile) subscribers increased from 1265.73 million at the end of March 2026 to 1271.90 million at the end of April 2026 thereby registering a monthly growth rate of 0.49%. Wireless (mobile) subscription in urban areas increased from 726.51 million at the end of March 2026 to 730.30 million at the end of April 2026 and wireless (mobile) subscription in rural areas also increased from 539.22 million to 541.60 million during the same period. The monthly growth rates of urban and rural wireless (mobile) subscription were 0.52% and 0.44% respectively.

•   The wireless (mobile) tele-density in India increased from 88.71% at the end of March 2026 to 89.09% at the end of April 2026. The urban wireless (mobile) tele-density increased from 141.30% at the end of March 2026 to 141.85% at the end of April 2026 and rural wireless (mobile) tele-density increased from 59.08% to 59.33% during the same period. The share of urban and rural wireless (mobile) subscribers in the total number of wireless (mobile) subscribers were 57.42% and 42.58% respectively, at the end of April 2026. The detailed statistics of wireless (mobile) subscriber base is available at Annexure-II.

Note: In the calculation of Tele-density figures, M2M cellular mobile connections have also been included.

• At the end of April 2026, the private access service providers held 92.67% of the market share in terms of wireless (mobile) subscribers, whereas PSU access service providers viz. BSNL and MTNL together held a market share of 7.33%.                         

• The graphical representation of access service provider-wise market share and net additions in wireless (mobile) subscriber base are given below: -

Access Service Provider-wise Market Shares in term of Wireless (Mobile) Subscribers at the end of April 2026

Net Addition/ Decline in Wireless (Mobile) Subscribers of Access Service Providers in the month of April 2026

Growth in Wireless (Mobile) Subscribers

Major Access Service Provider-wise Monthly Growth/ Decline Rate of Wireless (Mobile) Subscribers in the month of April 2026

Licensed Service Area (LSA)-wise Monthly Growth/ Decline rate of Wireless (Mobile) Subscribers in the month of April 2026

• All LSAs have shown growth in their wireless (Mobile) subscribers during the month of April 2026.                       

(B) Wireless (FWA) subscriber Base

• At present, fixed wireless access (FWA) based services are being provided under two categories viz.

1. 5G FWA i.e. FWA using 5G radio access technology; and
2. UBR FWA i.e. FWA using Unlicensed Band Radio (UBR) technology.

• The number of total wireless FWA using 5G radio access technology (5G FWA) subscribers increased from 12.32 million at the end of March 2026 to 12.55 million at the end of April 2026 with subscriptions in urban and rural areas as 6.26 million and 6.29 million respectively. The shares of urban and rural wireless (5G FWA) subscribers in total wireless (5G FWA) subscribers were 49.90% and 50.10% respectively, at the end of April 2026.
• LSA wise information on the wireless (5G FWA) subscriber base is available at Annexure-V.
• The number of total wireless FWA using UBR technology (UBR FWA) subscription stood at 4.51 million at the end of April 2026 with subscriptions in urban and rural areas of 3.21 million and 1.29 million respectively. The shares of urban and rural wireless (UBR FWA) subscribers in total wireless (UBR FWA) subscribers were 71.35% and 28.65% respectively, at the end of April 2026.
• LSA wise information on the wireless (UBR FWA) subscriber base is available at Annexure-VI.

 

4. M2M cellular mobile connections

•        The Number of M2M cellular mobile connections increased from 123.88 million at the end of March 2026 to 127.48 million at the end of April 2026.

• Bharti Airtel Limited has the highest number of M2M cellular mobile connections of 79.01 million with a market share of 61.98%, followed by Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, Vodafone Idea Limited and BSNL with market share of 19.05%, 15.73% and 3.25% respectively.

5. Total Telephone Subscriber Base

 

• The number of total telephone subscribers in India increased from 1330.58 million at the end of March 2026 to 1337.54 million at the end of April 2026, thereby showing a monthly growth rate of 0.52%. Urban telephone subscription increased from 778.79 million at the end of March 2026 to 783.12 million at the end of April 2026 and the rural telephone subscription also increased from 551.79 million to 554.41 million during the same period. The monthly growth rates of urban and rural telephone subscription were 0.56% and   0.47% respectively during the month of April 2026.

•   The overall tele-density in India increased from 93.26% at the end of March 2026 to 93.69% at the end of April 2026. The urban tele-density increased from 151.47% at the end of March 2026 to 152.11% at the end of April 2026 and rural tele-density also increased from 60.46% to 60.74% during the same period. The share of urban and rural subscribers in total number of telephone subscribers at the end of April 2026 were 58.55% and 41.45% respectively.       

Note: In the calculation of Tele-density figures, M2M cellular mobile connections have also been included.

• A summary of total telephone subscriber base at the end of April 2026 is as below:

Telephone subscriber base at the end of April 2026 (in million)

 

 

• The following table provides a summary information on wireless (mobile) telephone subscriber base at the end of April 2026:

 

 

* Wireless (mobile) connections = Consumer SIM + M2M SIM

Overall Tele-density (LSA Wise) – At the end of April 2026

• As may be seen in the above chart, nine LSAs have less tele-density than the all-India average tele-density at the end of April 2026. Delhi LSA has the maximum tele-density of 363.41% and the Bihar LSA has the minimum tele-density of 63.62% at the end of April 2026.   

Notes: -

1. Population data/projections are available state wise only.
2. Tele-density figures are derived from the telephone subscriber data provided by the access service providers and the projection of population from the “Report of the Technical Group on Population Projections for India and States 2011 – 2036 published in July 2020.
3. Telephone subscriber data for Delhi, includes, apart from the data for the State of Delhi, wireless subscriber data for the areas served by the local exchanges of Ghaziabad & Noida (in Uttar Pradesh) and Gurgaon & Faridabad (in Haryana).
4. Data/information for West Bengal includes Kolkata, Maharashtra includes Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh includes UPE & UPW service areas.
5. Data/information for Andhra Pradesh includes Telengana, Madhya Pradesh includes Chhatishgarh, Bihar includes Jharkhand, Maharashtra includes Goa, Uttar Pradesh includes Uttarakhand, West Bengal includes Sikkim and North-East includes Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland & Tripura States.
6. In the calculation of Tele-density figures, M2M cellular mobile connections have also been included.

 

6. Category-wise Growth in subscriber base

Circle Category-wise Net Additions in Telephone Subscribers in the Month of April 2026

 

Circle Category-wise Monthly and Yearly Growth Rates in Telephone Subscribers in the Month of April 2026

 

 

* The wireless subscriber base comprises of wireless mobile telephone subscribers (including M2M cellular mobile connections), and FWA subscribers.

Note: Circle Category-Metro includes Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

• As can be seen in the above tables, in the wireless segment, during the month of April 2026, on a monthly basis, all circles have registered a growth in their subscriber bases. On a yearly basis also, all the circles have registered a growth in their wireless subscriber bases.
•  In the wireline segment, during the month of April 2026, on a monthly basis, all circles except ‘Metro’, have registered a growth in their subscribers. On a yearly basis, all circles have registered a growth in their wireline subscriber bases.

   

 

Annexure IV

VLR Subscribers in the Wireless Segment

Home Location Register (HLR) is a central database that contains details of each mobile phone subscriber that is authorized to use the GSM core network. The HLRs store details of every SIM card issued by the service provider. Each SIM has a unique identifier called an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), which is the primary key to each HLR record. The HLR data is stored for as long as a subscriber remains with the service provider. HLR also manages the mobility of subscribers by means of updating their position in administrative areas. It sends the subscriber data to a Visitor Location Register (VLR).

Subscriber numbers reported by the service providers is the difference between the numbers of IMSI registered in service provider’s HLR and sum of other figures as given below: -

 

 

Visitor Location Register (VLR) is a temporary database of the subscribers who have roamed into the particular area, which it serves. Each base station in the network is served by exactly one VLR; hence a subscriber cannot be present in more than one VLR at a time.

If subscriber is in active stage i.e. he is able to send/receive calls/SMSs he is available both in HLR and VLR. However, it may be possible that the subscriber is registered in HLR but not in VLR due to the reason that he is either switched-off or moved out of coverage area, not reachable etc. In such circumstances he will be available in HLR but not in VLR. This causes difference between subscriber number reported by the service providers based on HLR and numbers available in VLR.

The VLR subscriber data calculated here is based on active subscribers in VLR on the date of Peak subscriber number in VLR of the particular month for which the data is being collected. This data is to be taken from the switches having the purge time of not more than 72 hours.

Fixed-Wireless (5G) Subscribers Base

Annexure-V

5G-Fixed Wireless Subscribers
TSPs Name →	Bharti Airtel		Reliance Jio		Grand Total
↓Telecom Service Area	Mar-26	Apr-26	Mar-26	Apr-26	Mar-26	Apr-26
Andhra Pradesh	326,398	323,724	733,617	752,750	1,060,015	1,076,474
Assam	80,832	81,383	204,410	208,854	285,242	290,237
Bihar	191,521	192,357	719,098	741,091	910,619	933,448
Delhi	178,180	182,336	231,269	232,376	409,449	414,712
Gujarat	208,389	211,740	455,641	463,517	664,030	675,257
Haryana	98,694	100,633	243,166	250,180	341,860	350,813
Himachal Pradesh	19,009	19,516	81,751	83,309	100,760	102,825
Jammu & Kashmir	71,441	70,320	184,530	187,382	255,971	257,702
Karnataka	308,525	306,470	431,309	441,506	739,834	747,976
Kerala	69,684	70,004	197,432	202,215	267,116	272,219
Kolkata	100,899	103,262	166,225	168,435	267,124	271,697
Madhya Pradesh	171,363	170,394	591,069	606,512	762,432	776,906
Maharashtra	318,056	321,413	641,525	655,979	959,581	977,392
Mumbai	116,019	118,663	111,399	112,914	227,418	231,577
North East	41,719	41,790	92,735	95,428	134,454	137,218
Odisha	86,390	87,465	320,411	329,964	406,801	417,429
Punjab	180,691	181,803	514,395	523,527	695,086	705,330
Rajasthan	224,359	225,697	486,259	499,499	710,618	725,196
Tamil Nadu	428,203	424,480	400,354	410,423	828,557	834,903
Uttar Pradesh (East)	239,283	242,487	726,334	744,333	965,617	986,820
Uttar Pradesh (West)	174,395	177,497	560,565	576,731	734,960	754,228
West Bengal	103,608	103,055	490,616	506,825	594,224	609,880
TOTAL	3,737,658	3,756,489	8,584,110	8,793,750	12,321,768	12,550,239
Net Addition		18,831		209,640		228,471
Monthly Growth %		0.50%		2.44%		1.85%

Annexure-VI

Fixed-Wireless (UBR) Subscribers Base

 

 

*Only Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited has reported the information on the number of UBR FWA subscribers.

^****

^NJ/ARJ

(Release ID: 2265617) Visitor Counter : 409