India’s telecom sector continues to grow by leaps and bounds. In September alone, the country saw more than 6.57 million new mobile subscribers added to its burgeoning wireless telecom market, with the lion’s share of new subscribers going to Jio and Airtel.
India Witnesses Huge Growth in New Mobile Subscribers
As per the data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), India’s total mobile subscribers jumped from 1.29 billion in August to 1.3 billion in September 2026. This marks a monthly growth rate of 0.51%, a significant number for the second-largest wireless telecom market in the world (behind China).
Jio added the most subscribers, adding a whopping 2.71 million subscribers. Airtel followed close on its trail with 2.69 million new mobile subscribers. Together, they accounted for more than 5.4 million additions.
| Operator(s) | New Subscribers (September 2026) | Growth Rate | Total Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jio | 2.71 million | 0.53% | 39.32% |
| Airtel | 2.69 million | 0.55% | 38.02% |
| BSNL | 0.63 million | 0.67% | 7.25% |
| Vodafone Idea | 0.55 million | 0.28% | 15.39% |
| MTNL | (-) 6,628 | - | 0.01% |
State-run BSNL also added 0.63 million subscribers, followed by Vodafone Idea, which grew its mobile subscriber base by 0.55 million.
Incidentally, BSNL also witnessed the highest month-on-month growth rate of 0.67%.
MTNL was the operator to lose the most subscribers between August and September 2026, losing 6,628 subscribers.
TRAI’s data also highlighted that the wireless mobile subscriber base in urban areas rose from 748.84 million in August to 753.85 million - a monthly growth rate of 0.67%. In rural areas, the same grew from 544.58 million to 546.14 million, with a growth rate of 0.29%.
Currently, Reliance Jio has the biggest chunk of the Indian telecom market, with Airtel close on its heels.
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