India's broadband subscriber base grew by 6.47 million in September 2026, reaching a new total of 1.108 billion connections, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). Market dominance by Jio and Airtel continues, while 5G fixed wireless access subscriptions showed notable increases.
- India’s broadband base grew 0.59% month-on-month in September 2026
- Jio and Airtel account for nearly 84% of total broadband subscriptions
- 5G fixed wireless access subscriptions surpass 13.6 million, growing fastest
What happened
As of September 2026, India’s broadband subscriber count rose to approximately 1.108 billion from 1.101 billion in August, marking an increase of 6.47 million connections or a 0.59% monthly growth. Overall telephone connections reached nearly 1.368 billion, lifting tele-density slightly to 95.52%, based on data collected from 1,596 telecom operators.
The market continues to be dominated by Jio, which held around 541 million broadband connections, and Airtel with close to 389 million. Other players include Vodafone Idea, BSNL, and Atria Convergence Technologies, collectively accounting for the remaining share. The combined market share of Jio and Airtel stands at approximately 84%, showing minimal change from the previous month.
Why it matters
These figures highlight sustained demand for broadband services in India, driven by ongoing digital adoption and network expansions. Mobile broadband remains the predominant mode of internet access with over one billion connections, while fixed wired and fixed wireless broadband also experienced steady growth.
The rise in 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) subscriptions, which grew by over 1.1% month-on-month, indicates increasing deployment and acceptance of 5G technologies beyond traditional mobile use. Rural areas hold a slight majority of these 5G FWA subscriptions, suggesting efforts to bridge the digital divide.
What to watch next
Monitoring the evolution of 5G fixed wireless access subscriptions will be critical as it may significantly influence rural connectivity and internet penetration trends. Market dynamics between top operators Jio and Airtel will continue to shape competitive pricing, service offerings, and network infrastructure investments.
Further analysis is expected on the impact of regulatory decisions affecting M2M SIM reclassification, subscriber reporting, and broadband growth projections as India prepares for greater digitalization and expanded telecom services.