The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released its Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicators report for the January-March 2026 quarter, revealing that the country's total internet subscriber base crossed the 1,092 million mark, driven by a 5.81% quarter-on-quarter growth in broadband connections.
Internet subscriber growth details
Total internet subscribers increased from 1,028.61 million at the end of December 2025 to 1,092.79 million at the end of March 2026, registering a quarterly growth rate of 6.24%. Of these, wireless internet subscribers stood at 1,046.26 million, while wired internet subscribers were 46.54 million.
Broadband subscribers, defined as connections with a download speed of at least 512 kbps, rose from 1,007.35 million to 1,065.88 million over the quarter. Narrowband subscribers also saw a sharp increase of 26.62%, reaching 26.91 million. According to TRAI, the overall internet base comprised 1,065.88 million broadband and 26.91 million narrowband subscribers.
Telecom subscriber base and tele-density
Total telecom subscribers, including wireless and wireline, stood at 1,330.58 million as of March 31, 2026, up 1.87% from the previous quarter. Wireless subscribers accounted for 1,282.33 million, while wireline subscribers grew 1.86% to 48.25 million. Overall tele-density improved to 93.26%, with urban tele-density at 151.47% and rural tele-density at 60.46%.
Usage metrics and ARPU
Usage metrics also strengthened during the quarter. TRAI reported that the monthly average revenue per user (ARPU) for wireless services stood at Rs. 196.04, up 0.76% from Rs. 194.57 in December 2025. Minutes of usage per subscriber per month for wireless services averaged 1,017 minutes. Average wireless data usage per wireless data subscriber was 26.70 GB per month, with average revenue realisation per GB at Rs. 7.51.
Revenue growth
Gross revenue (GR) during the quarter came in at Rs. 1,05,118 crore, up 2.58% over the previous quarter, while adjusted gross revenue (AGR) rose 2.90% to Rs. 86,716 crore.
