New Delhi: India’s telecom sector sustained strong momentum in April, powered by rising wireless demand, accelerating broadband adoption, and rapid expansion in fixed wireless access (FWA).
Fresh subscriber data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) showed that the country added 6.95 million telephone subscribers during the month, taking the total subscriber base to 1.337 billion.
Overall tele-density also improved from 93.26% in March to 93.69% in April, reflecting deeper telecom penetration across both urban and rural markets.
Network Expansion Continues
Wireless services remained the primary growth engine for the industry. Total wireless subscribers, including mobile and FWA users, climbed by 6.63 million to 1.289 billion, registering a monthly growth rate of 0.52%.
Urban wireless subscriptions rose to 739.78 million, while rural subscriptions increased to 549.18 million, indicating continued traction beyond metro markets.
The mobile wireless segment alone touched 1.272 billion users, supported by steady additions in both cities and smaller towns. Private telecom operators continued to dominate the market with a combined share of 92.67%, while state-owned operators BSNL and MTNL accounted for the remaining 7.33%.
Broadband Boom Accelerates
Broadband adoption delivered another month of healthy expansion as total subscribers increased from 1.066 billion in March to 1.073 billion in April, reflecting a 0.71% monthly rise.
The standout performer was fixed wireless access, which recorded the fastest growth among all broadband categories. FWA subscriptions surged 2.53% month-on-month to 17.54 million, underlining the growing adoption of 5G-based home internet services and unlicensed band radio technology.
Mobile wireless broadband subscriptions also advanced steadily to 1.009 billion, while fixed wired broadband connections edged higher to 46.84 million. The data signals a strong consumer preference for high-speed connectivity, particularly in areas where fibre deployment remains limited.
Market leadership in broadband remained firmly with Reliance Jio Infocomm, which ended April with 526.94 million subscribers. Bharti Airtel followed with 373 million users, while Vodafone Idea held 128.92 million subscribers. Together, the top five broadband operators controlled more than 98% of the market, highlighting the sector’s high concentration.
Wireline Revival Visible
India’s wireline segment continued its gradual recovery, adding 0.33 million users during April to reach 48.58 million subscribers. The category registered the highest monthly growth rate among all telecom segments at 0.68%.
Urban India remained the backbone of wireline demand, accounting for nearly 89% of total wireline users. Urban wireline tele-density stood at 8.42%, compared with just 0.57% in rural areas, underscoring the infrastructure gap that still exists between the two regions.
M2M Ecosystem Expands
Machine-to-machine cellular connections also posted strong gains during the month. Total M2M connections rose from 123.88 million in March to 127.48 million in April, reflecting rising enterprise adoption across sectors such as logistics, automotive, utilities, and smart infrastructure.
Bharti Airtel led the M2M market with a dominant 61.98% share and 79.01 million connections. Reliance Jio Infocomm and Vodafone Idea followed with market shares of 19.05% and 15.73% respectively.
Urban-Rural Divide Persists
Despite broad-based growth, significant disparities in telecom penetration remained visible across regions. Urban tele-density increased to 152.11%, while rural tele-density lagged far behind at 60.74%. Delhi recorded the country’s highest tele-density at 363.41%, whereas Bihar remained the lowest at 63.62%.
The data also highlighted intense competition within the industry. Around 14.74 million subscribers submitted Mobile Number Portability requests during April, indicating continued churn as users switched providers in search of better pricing, network quality, and data offerings.
Overall, the April 2026 figures point to a telecom industry entering a new phase of expansion driven by 5G-enabled services, rising broadband consumption, and stronger digital connectivity demand across India.
(Cover photo by Valdhy Mbemba on Unsplash)