Airtel Beats Jio in New Mobile Users While Jio Retains Overall Subscriber Lead

India’s telecom market continued its steady growth in June 2026, with the latest data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India revealing strong subscriber additions across major operators. While Reliance Jio maintained its position as the country’s largest wireless service provider, Bharti Airtel emerged as the biggest winner in terms of adding new mobile customers during the month.

According to the TRAI subscription report released on July 28, the country’s wireless subscriber base increased by more than 5.38 million users in June. Airtel led the growth chart by adding nearly 2.99 million new wireless subscribers, outperforming Reliance Jio, which added around 2.15 million customers during the same period. Vodafone Idea also recorded positive growth with over 163000 new subscribers, while state owned BSNL gained more than 94000 users. MTNL, however, was the only operator to report a decline, losing more than 11000 subscribers.

Despite Airtel’s impressive monthly performance, Reliance Jio continued to hold the largest overall wireless subscriber base in India. By the end of June 2026, Jio had more than 503.58 million wireless users, giving it a market share of 39.27 percent. Airtel remained in second place with approximately 486.80 million subscribers and a market share of 37.96 percent.

Vodafone Idea retained the third position with nearly 198.82 million wireless subscribers, accounting for a 15.50 percent market share. BSNL followed with more than 93 million subscribers and a 7.25 percent share, while MTNL remained at the bottom with a very small subscriber base and a market share of just 0.01 percent.

Private telecom companies continued to dominate the Indian wireless market. Together, Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Idea controlled 92.73 percent of the wireless subscriber base, while government operated BSNL and MTNL together accounted for only 7.27 percent.

The report also highlighted the continued expansion of India’s wireless industry. The combined wireless subscriber base, including mobile and Fixed Wireless Access users, rose from 1294.46 million in May to 1300.25 million in June, reflecting a monthly growth rate of 0.45 percent. Mobile wireless subscribers alone increased to 1282.38 million, registering a growth rate of 0.42 percent over the previous month.

India’s wireless tele density also improved during June. The figure climbed from 90.61 percent in May to 90.96 percent, indicating that mobile connectivity continues to reach a larger share of the population.

The Fixed Wireless Access segment, driven by 5G services, also recorded healthy growth. The total number of 5G FWA subscribers increased from 12.73 million in May to 12.94 million by the end of June. Urban users accounted for 6.44 million subscribers, while rural areas slightly surpassed cities with 6.49 million subscribers, highlighting the growing adoption of wireless broadband beyond metropolitan regions.

In the 5G FWA category, Airtel expanded its subscriber base by adding 56773 new users, taking its total to more than 3.82 million. Reliance Jio remained the market leader by adding 145790 subscribers, increasing its total 5G FWA customer base to over 9.11 million. Combined, the two operators served nearly 12.94 million 5G Fixed Wireless Access users by the end of June.

Jio also remained the only telecom operator to report Ultra Broadband Radio Fixed Wireless Access subscriber data. The company’s UBR FWA user base increased from 4.73 million in May to 4.93 million in June, adding more than 201000 new subscribers in just one month.

The latest TRAI figures underline the intense competition between India’s leading telecom operators. While Airtel has taken the lead in attracting the highest number of new mobile users, Jio continues to dominate the overall market with the country’s largest wireless subscriber base and a commanding presence in the rapidly expanding 5G broadband segment.