Zillar Barta Desk, New Delhi: Reliance Jio recorded the highest growth in wireless mobile subscribers in August 2026, adding nearly 2.40 million users, followed by Bharti Airtel with around 2.11 million, according to data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
Jio's wireless mobile subscriber base increased to 508.43 million at the end of August, compared with 506.03 million at the end of July. Airtel's subscriber base rose to approximately 491.60 million from 489.49 million during the same period.
Vodafone Idea added around 506,000 subscribers, while state-owned BSNL gained nearly 493,000 users in August. MTNL, however, witnessed a decline of approximately 5,900 subscribers.
Overall, India's wireless subscriber base, including mobile and Fixed Wireless Access connections, increased to 1,312.25 million by the end of August 2026, registering a monthly growth of 0.46 per cent, TRAI said.
The regulator reported growth in both urban and rural wireless subscriptions. Urban subscriptions increased from 753.86 million in July to 759.11 million in August, while rural subscriptions rose from 552.40 million to 553.14 million. The corresponding monthly growth rates were 0.70 per cent and 0.13 per cent, respectively.
Private telecom operators continued to account for the overwhelming majority of the mobile market, holding 92.75 per cent of wireless mobile subscribers at the end of August. BSNL and MTNL together accounted for the remaining 7.25 per cent.
Airtel also recorded the highest proportion of active subscribers among the major telecom operators. According to TRAI, 99.01 per cent of Airtel's wireless mobile subscriber base was active on the date of peak Visitor Location Register (VLR) in August.
Meanwhile, the country's total telephone subscriber base, including wireline connections, increased to 1,360.70 million at the end of August, marking a monthly growth of 0.47 per cent, the TRAI data showed.
