Reliance Jio retained its lead in India's telecom market by adding 27.13 lakh wireless mobile subscribers in September 2026, narrowly ahead of Bharti Airtel, which gained 26.92 lakh users during the month, according to data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Tuesday.
Vodafone Idea added 5.50 lakh subscribers, while state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) recorded an increase of 6.26 lakh users during September.
Following the latest additions, Jio's wireless mobile subscriber base reached 51.11 crore at the end of September, compared with Airtel's 49.43 crore. Vodafone Idea's subscriber count stood at over 20 crore, while BSNL's user base increased to 9.43 crore.
Jio retains market leadership
Jio maintained its position as India's largest mobile operator with a market share of 39.32 per cent at the end of September.
Bharti Airtel followed with a 38.02 per cent share, while Vodafone Idea accounted for 15.39 per cent of the wireless mobile subscriber market.
The difference between Jio and Airtel's monthly subscriber additions stood at just 21,000, reflecting closely matched gains during September.
All four operators recorded positive net additions during the month, according to the regulator's figures.
Wireless subscriber base nears 130 crore
India's overall wireless mobile subscriber base increased by 65.74 lakh to nearly 130 crore at the end of September, compared with 129.34 crore in August.
The increase represented a monthly growth rate of 0.51 per cent.
The broader wireless subscriber base, which includes both mobile and fixed wireless access connections, rose by 69.41 lakh to 131.92 crore during the month.
Meanwhile, the country's total telephone subscriber base, including wireline connections, increased to 136.79 crore in September.
TRAI reported that the number of active wireless mobile subscribers stood at 121.28 crore, indicating the proportion of registered mobile users actively connected to telecom networks.
Mobile number portability requests reach 1.68 crore
The regulator's data showed that 1.68 crore subscribers submitted requests for mobile number portability during September.
Mobile number portability allows subscribers to switch telecom service providers while retaining their existing mobile numbers.
The figures reflect the volume of requests submitted during the month rather than the number of completed operator switches.
Broadband subscriptions rise to 110.77 crore
India's broadband subscriber base increased to 110.77 crore at the end of September from 110.12 crore in August, recording a monthly growth rate of 0.59 per cent.
The expansion in broadband connections accompanied the increase in wireless mobile subscriptions during the reporting period.
TRAI also reported growth in machine-to-machine (M2M) cellular mobile connections, which increased from approximately 14 crore at the end of August to 14.4 crore in September.
M2M connections are used to enable communication between connected devices and systems, including industrial equipment, smart meters and other automated applications.
Airtel dominates M2M connections
Bharti Airtel retained its leadership in the M2M cellular mobile segment, with 8.858 crore connections and a market share of 61.16 per cent.
Reliance Jio followed with a 19.29 per cent share, while Vodafone Idea accounted for 16.14 per cent.
BSNL held a 3.41 per cent share of the M2M cellular mobile connections market.
The September figures showed continued growth across India's mobile, broadband and connected-device segments, with Jio maintaining its lead in conventional wireless mobile subscriptions and Airtel dominating M2M connectivity.