Airtel outpaces Jio in May wireless user gains; adds 2.93 million subscribers

Mumbai: Bharti Airtel added nearly 2.93 million wireless subscribers in the month of May, outpacing Reliance Jio's 2.15 million additions, according to latest data posted by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

Reliance Jio, however, continued to dominate the market with a 39.27% share of the country's wireless subscriber base at the end of May, followed by Bharti Airtel with 37.89%. Vodafone Idea retained a 15.56% market share, while state-run BSNL accounted for 7.28%.

Vodafone Idea added 121,289 wireless subscribers during the month, marking a marginal return to growth. In contrast, State-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) lost 104,560 subscribers.


At May-end, Jio had a subscriber base of 529.61 million, followed by Bharti Airtel with 376.11 million subscribers. Vodafone Idea held the third position with 129.21 million users, while BSNL recorded 27.52 million subscribers.

Overall, India's wireless subscriber base, including fixed wireless access (FWA), rose by 5.5 million during May to 1.294 billion, registering a monthly growth rate of 0.43%. The mobile subscriber base alone increased by 5.09 million to 1.277 billion.

The broader telecom sector continued to expand, with the total telephone subscriber base rising by 5.56 million to 1.343 billion. Wireless connections accounted for nearly the entire increase, while wireline subscribers grew modestly by about 60,000.

In the broadband market, Reliance Jio strengthened its leadership with 529.61 million subscribers and a 49.03% market share. Bharti Airtel followed with 376.11 million subscribers (34.82%), while Vodafone Idea had 129.21 million subscribers (11.96%). Together, the top three operators accounted for more than 95% of India's broadband subscriber base.

The wireless tele-density in India increased from 90.28 per cent at the end of April 2026 to 90.61 per cent at the end of May 2026.