Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 5: India's telecom sector registered strong growth in FY26, with the number of internet subscribers crossing the 1.09-billion mark, wireless data consumption rising nearly 25 per cent and average revenue per user (ARPU) increasing, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) annual performance report released on Monday.
The report showed that the total number of internet subscribers rose to 1.09 billion as of March 31, 2026, from 969.1 million a year earlier, registering an annual growth of 12.76 per cent.
Broadband subscribers accounted for the overwhelming majority of the user base, with their numbers increasing 12.9 per cent during the year to 1.066 billion. Narrowband subscribers also increased to 26.91 million.
Consumer spending on telecom services also grew during the year. The average revenue per user (ARPU) for wireless services increased to Rs 180.73 per month in FY26 from Rs 174.46 in the previous financial year.
India's mobile data consumption continued to expand rapidly, with wireless data subscribers crossing the one-billion mark to reach 1.027 billion by the end of FY26.
Total wireless data usage surged 24.74 per cent year-on-year to 2,85,376 petabytes. Average monthly wireless data consumption per subscriber also increased to 25.51 GB in FY26 from 21.53 GB a year earlier, marking a growth of 18.49 per cent.
Revenue generated from wireless data services rose 11.53 per cent during the year to Rs 2.39 lakh crore, according to the report.
Overall telephone subscriptions in the country increased 10.81 per cent to 1.33 billion by the end of March 2026.
Overall tele-density also improved to 93.26 per cent from 85.04 per cent a year earlier.
Urban markets remained the major growth driver, with telephone subscriptions in cities rising nearly 17 per cent to 778.79 million. Urban tele-density increased sharply to 151.47 per cent.
Rural telephone subscriptions also registered growth, reaching 551.79 million, while rural tele-density improved to 60.46 per cent.
Wireless services continued to dominate India's telecom landscape. Total wireless subscribers, including mobile and fixed wireless access (FWA) users, increased by 118.58 million during the year to reach 1.28 billion.