The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released its quarterly performance report for April to June 2026, providing a comprehensive overview of India’s telecom services. The report shows that India’s telephone subscriber base grew to 1,348 million users at the end of June 2026, while internet subscribers reached 1,114 million, reflecting continued expansion across both urban and rural regions.
This data is compiled from information submitted by telecom service providers and covers fixed-line, mobile, broadband, and broadcasting services. The report tracks key metrics including subscriber growth, revenue trends, data consumption patterns, and quality of service compliance across India’s telecom sector.
Key facts
- Total telephone subscribers increased to 1,348.08 million at end of June 2026 (1.31% quarterly growth, 10.65% year-on-year)
- Internet subscribers reached 1,114.17 million (96% quarterly growth), comprising 1,087.50 million broadband and 26.67 million narrowband
- Wireless mobile subscribers stood at 1,282.38 million (1.32% quarterly growth)
- Urban tele-density reached 153.43%; rural tele-density 60.89%
- Overall tele-density across India increased to 94.31%
- Monthly wireless ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) rose from Rs 184.91 to Rs 187.12
- Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) for telecom sector was Rs 88,796 crore (2.40% quarterly growth, 9.19% year-on-year)
- Mobile data subscribers increased by 1.86% to 1,045.55 million
- Average monthly data usage per subscriber increased to 28.39 GB
- Total wireless data volume reached 84,424 PB (petabytes)
- Prepaid ARPU: Rs 200.72 per month; postpaid ARPU: Rs 114.26 per month
- Private operators hold 92.50% market share; PSU operators 7.50%
- Pay DTH subscribers: 48.56 million
- Operational FM radio channels: 386 across 121 cities
- Community radio stations operational: 578
Subscriber growth patterns
India added 17.5 million new telephone subscribers during the quarter, with wireless accounting for the bulk of this expansion. Urban areas added subscribers at a faster pace, reaching 792.06 million, while rural subscribers grew to 556.01 million. However, rural India’s share of total subscriptions declined marginally from 41.47% to 41.24% during the same period.
Wireless subscriptions, comprising both mobile and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services, added 17.92 million users in the quarter. Mobile-only subscriptions increased by 16.66 million. The year-on-year growth rate for wireless subscriptions stands at 11.05%, indicating robust market expansion.
Wireline subscriptions, by contrast, remain stagnant. The fixed-line subscriber base decreased marginally from 48.25 million to 47.82 million in the quarter, though it showed a 0.71% year-on-year increase.
Internet and data consumption trends
Internet subscriber growth accelerated significantly in the quarter. Nearly 96% of internet users rely on wireless networks (1,066.43 million), while wired internet accounts for 47.73 million subscribers. Broadband internet now dominates, representing 97.6% of all internet connections.
Data consumption patterns show increasing intensity. Wireless data subscribers now number 1,045.55 million, and the volume of data consumed jumped 8.30% to 84,424 petabytes. Per-subscriber monthly data usage climbed 6.32% to 28.39 GB, indicating growing reliance on data-heavy services. However, revenue per gigabyte of data declined from Rs 7.51 to Rs 7.13, reflecting competitive pressure on pricing.
Revenue and financial performance
India’s telecom sector generated Rs 1,06,797 crore in Gross Revenue during the quarter, up 1.60% from the previous quarter and 10.50% year-on-year. After deducting applicable charges, the Adjusted Gross Revenue stood at Rs 88,796 crore, representing quarterly growth of 2.40% and year-on-year growth of 9.19%.
License fees increased from Rs 6,936 crore to Rs 7,103 crore, while pass-through charges (spectrum usage charges, interconnect charges and other levies) stood at Rs 12,241 crore. Access services, which include mobile and fixed-line calls, contributed 83.85% of the sector’s Adjusted Gross Revenue.
On the usage side, average monthly call minutes per user declined from 959 to 933, primarily reflecting a shift from voice to data consumption. Prepaid users made 1,055 minutes of calls per month, while postpaid users averaged only 279 minutes, highlighting the different usage patterns between customer segments.
Cable TV, DTH and radio services
Direct-to-Home (DTH) pay services, offered by four operators, maintained an active subscriber base of 48.56 million users at the end of June 2026, down from 49.09 million in the previous quarter. These subscribers represent paid DTH services, separate from Prasar Bharati’s free DD Free Dish platform.
Satellite television channels permitted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting number 915 total, with 906 available for downlinking in India. Of these, 342 operate as pay channels (238 in standard definition and 104 in high definition), while the remaining 566 operate as free-to-air services.
Private FM radio continues to contract slightly. The sector has 386 operational channels across 121 cities operated by 30 private broadcasters, down from 390 channels in the previous quarter. Advertisement revenue declined to Rs 376.16 crore from Rs 414.03 crore, indicating pressure on radio’s commercial viability. Meanwhile, community radio stations operating on a non-commercial basis reached 578.
Quality of service compliance
All wireline, wireless, and broadband service providers fully complied with TRAI’s quality of service benchmarks during the quarter. For wireline services, providers met standards for fault repair times, billing complaint resolution, call centre accessibility, and service termination timelines. Wireless providers achieved benchmarks for network availability, call setup success rates, data speeds, latency, and packet drop rates across 4G and 5G networks.
Broadband providers met standards for latency (below 50 milliseconds), packet drop rates (below 1%), download and upload speed consistency, and network reliability metrics.
What this means for you
For consumers, India’s telecom sector is becoming more data-centric and competitive. Monthly wireless charges have edged up slightly (Rs 187.12 from Rs 184.91), while data costs per gigabyte continue declining, making internet services increasingly affordable. Urban users benefit from faster network expansion, while rural subscribers are growing but at a slower pace, maintaining the digital divide.
The decline in DTH subscribers and FM radio revenue suggests shifting media consumption toward internet-based streaming and digital audio platforms. Quality of service compliance across all categories means consumers can expect reliable call connections, fast data speeds, and responsive customer service.
Businesses should note that the 9.19% year-on-year revenue growth reflects both subscriber expansion and rising usage intensity, indicating a maturing but still-growing telecom market.
What happens next
TRAI will continue releasing quarterly performance reports. Citizens and businesses seeking details on specific metrics or clarifications can contact Shri Vijay Kumar, Advisor (Finance and Economics Analysis) at TRAI, via telephone +91-20907773 or email fea1-div@trai.gov.in. The complete report is available on TRAI’s website at www.trai.gov.in under the performance indicators reports section.