India Adds 3.24-Million Telecom Users In May; Jio, Airtel Extend Lead: TRAI Data
Vodafone Idea remained in negative territory, losing 2,74,000 mobile users in May.
India's telecom sector added 3.24 million new subscribers in May, taking the total user base to 1.207 billion, according to the latest data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on Friday.
The monthly growth stood at 0.27%, signalling a gradual but steady expansion in digital connectivity across the country.
Reliance Jio continues to dominate the market, adding 2.7 million wireless subscribers in May — marginally higher than its April performance. Jio also retained leadership across the wireline and broadband segments, strengthening its position as the most diversified telecom player.
With nearly 41% market share in mobile services, the company remains a key driver of growth in the sector and a bellwether for telecom-focused investors.
Bharti Airtel reported a net addition of 2,75,621 mobile subscribers — up from 1,71,000 in April. The telco also remains a leader in the machine-to-machine segment, with over 40 million active connections and more than 54% market share.
This underscores Airtel’s strong positioning in the enterprise and IoT ecosystem, which continues to attract investor interest amid the growing digital transformation across industries.
In sharp contrast, Vodafone Idea remained in negative territory, losing 2,74,000 mobile users in May. While this is an improvement from the 6,47,000 it lost in April, the continued decline in user base is a concerning trend for the cash-strapped telecom company. With mounting AGR dues and operational strain, Vi’s losses could weigh further on investor sentiment.
State-run BSNL lost 135,000 subscribers in May, yet a slight improvement from April’s loss of 155,000 users. MTNL, too, continued to bleed subscribers. Public sector telcos now account for less than 8% of the mobile subscriber market.
The overall urban subscriber base stood at 669.69 million (55.48%) while rural users made up 537.39 million (44.52%). Urban tele-density reached 131.76%, while rural areas lagged at 59.33%, highlighting the gap that telcos can still tap into.
With TRAI data showing Jio and Airtel on divergent growth paths from Vodafone Idea and PSUs, the data serves as a key monitorable for telecom stocks amid ongoing sectoral consolidation and 5G monetisation efforts.
