Bharti Airtel emerged as the clear leader in July subscriber additions, adding 26.88 lakh users compared to June, according to latest TRAI data. The additions comprised 26.88 lakh mobile subscribers and 1.63 lakh fixed-line connections, demonstrating the company's strong performance across all segments. Reliance Jio followed closely with 24.47 lakh net additions, including 24.47 lakh mobile subscribers and 1.66 lakh fixed-line connections. Together, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio accounted for 88.13% or about 54.64 lakh of the total 62 lakh net additions during July. The wireless subscriber base grew 0.43% monthly to 128.79 crore from 128.24 crore in June 2026, with the total subscriber base reaching 135.3 crore in July 2026, up from 134.81 crore in June.
Jio remained India's largest mobile operator with 50.60 crore subscribers and a 39.29% market share, while Airtel followed with 48.95 crore users and a 38.01% share. Vodafone Idea had 19.91 crore subscribers, and BSNL maintained 9.32 crore subscribers. Private operators together accounted for 92.75% of mobile subscribers. TRAI's mobile subscriber count includes machine-to-machine cellular connections, with consumer mobile SIMs standing at 115.02 crore in July. Of the total reported mobile subscribers, 120.40 crore were active on the date of peak visitor location register, representing 93.48% of the total base. Airtel recorded the highest active-subscriber ratio at 99.12%, followed by Jio at 98.82%.
Urban mobile subscribers increased to 74.37 crore from 73.94 crore, while the rural base rose to 54.43 crore from 54.30 crore. Overall mobile tele-density increased to 90.04% from 89.71% in June. All licensed service areas except Kolkata reported subscriber growth, with Karnataka adding 5.23 lakh users and Gujarat at 5.22 lakh. Kolkata lost 17,107 subscribers during the month. Mobile wireless broadband connections rose 0.59% month-on-month to 102.75 crore.
The Indian broadband market also showed positive momentum during July 2026. According to TRAI's latest report, broadband subscribers increased from 108.75 crore at the end of June 2026 to 109.44 crore at the end of July 2026, representing a monthly growth rate of 0.64%. This growth demonstrates the continued expansion of India's digital infrastructure and the increasing demand for high-speed internet services across the country.
Global brokerage Jefferies has retained Bharti Airtel as its top pick in the telecom sector, citing revenue growth, market share gains, and early signs of stabilisation at rival Vodafone Idea. According to reports from The Financial Express, the brokerage believes the company is benefiting from better subscriber quality, stronger revenue growth and continued market-share gains. The selection comes as the telecom sector continues to expand, with the total subscriber base reaching 135.3 crore in July 2026, up from 134.81 crore in June. As per Jefferies, the brokerage expects the industry to maintain high-single-digit revenue growth even without immediate tariff increases, with the next major tariff hike expected in April 2027.
