Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel Lead as India’s Telecom Subscribers Base Expanded by 6.96 Million in April 2026

India's telecom industry witnessed significant growth in April as the subscriber base expanded by 6.96 million, reaching 1.34 billion overall.  

This growth was predominantly driven by new wireless additions, with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel taking the lead in user acquisition. 

Significant Growth in Subscriber Base 

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) reported that the increase was primarily due to a surge in wireless subscribers, who accounted for 6.17 million of the new additions.  

By the end of April, the number of wireless users had reached 1.27 billion, while wireline subscribers saw a moderate increase of 0.33 million.  

Bharti Airtel added 3.13 million subscribers in April, making it the top contributor, followed closely by Reliance Jio, which gained 2.94 million new users. 

Jio and Airtel: Key Players 

Reliance Jio maintained its position as the largest telecom operator in the country, with a total wireless user base of 499.2 million. Airtel followed closely with 480.88 million users.  

Vodafone Idea, despite facing financial challenges, added 53,257 users, whereas BSNL gained 76,175 new subscribers.  

Notably, Jio also saw a sharp increase in its Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) subscribers, adding 2,09,640 users in April, compared to Airtel's addition of 18,831 FWA users. 

Active Subscriber Metrics 

In terms of active users, Jio led the market with 492.46 million active subscribers, constituting 98.63% of its total base. Airtel maintained a high active user rate at 99.72%, with 480.88 million active users.  

Vodafone Idea had 169.27 million active users, representing 85.26% of its base. The market for machine-to-machine connections also saw growth, rising to 127.48 million in April from 123.88 million in March. 

Read More: BSNL Revenue Rises to ₹25,000 Crore in 2 Years as Network Upgrades Improve Operations! 

Market Dynamics and Competition 

The intense competition in the telecom sector was evidenced by the 14.74 million requests for mobile number portability in April.  

As of April 2026, Jio held a 39.25% market share, followed by Airtel with a 37.81% share. Vodafone Idea and BSNL had market shares of 15.61% and 7.31%, respectively.  

Airtel led in machine-to-machine connections with 79.01 million connections. 

Conclusion 

The expansion of India's telecom user base underscores the competitive nature of the industry, with Jio and Airtel playing pivotal roles in driving growth. The market continues to be characterised by high mobile number portability requests, reflecting users' willingness to switch providers for better services. 

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