India adds 9.28 million new Telecom Subscribers in March, Broadband base reaches 1.06 billion

In March 2026, the telecommunications sector of India has added 9.28 million subscribers, taking the total user base to 1,330.58 million, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

The industry recorded a steady monthly growth rate of 0.70%. Wireless services continued to drive expansion, contributing 9.02 million new users, while wireline connections grew by 0.25 million during the month.

The broadband sector achieved a milestone with total subscriber base reaching 1,065.88 million. The segment This includes both wired and wireless connections, with a net addition of 6.83 million users over February. In the broadband market, Reliance Jio Infocomm maintained its lead with 523.44 million subscribers, followed by Bharti Airtel with 368.84 million and Vodafone Idea with 128.91 million.

"As per the information received from 1520 operators for the month of March 2026, the total number of broadband subscribers increased from 1059.05 million at the end of February 2026 to 1065.88 million at the end of March 2026 with a monthly growth rate of 0.65%," the TRAI report stated.

Geographically, urban areas accounted for 778.79 million of the total telephone subscribers, while rural areas reached 551.79 million. Notably, the rural wireless growth surpassed the urban expansion in percentage terms. Rural wireless subscriptions grew at a rate of 0.74 per cent, adding 4.04 million users, whereas urban wireless subscriptions increased by 0.68 per cent with 4.98 million additions.

"The number of wireless (mobile + Fixed Wireless Access) subscribers increased from 1273.31 million at the end of February 2026 to 1282.33 million at the end of March 2026, thereby registering a monthly growth rate of 0.71%," the report noted regarding the wireless sector's performance.

The broadband market remained highly concentrated, with the top five service providers controlling 98.60% of the total share. Beyond the leading private players, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. had 27.37 million broadband subscribers, while Atria Convergence Technologies accounted for 2.40 million.

"At the end of March 2026, the private access service providers held 92.64% 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 7.36%," the TRAI reported.

Tele-density in India rose to 93.26% at the end of March. Urban tele-density stood at 151.47%, indicating a high device-to-user ratio in cities, while rural tele-density was 60.46%. Excluding M2M cellular connections, the national tele-density was adjusted to 84.57%.