India had 1,319.19 million wireless subscribers at the end of September 2026 (TRAI), a net addition of 6.94 million (0.53%) in the month. That count covers mobile connections, including machine-to-machine (M2M) cellular, and fixed wireless access (FWA). Wireless tele-density was 92.12%, and 1,212.80 million subscribers were active on the date of peak VLR.
Source · TRAI, figure for September 2026 · checked
| Period | Value (million) |
|---|---|
| Sep 2026 | 1,319.19 |
| Aug 2026 | 1,312.25 |
| Jul 2026 | 1,306.27 |
| Jun 2026 | 1,300.25 |
| May 2026 | 1,294.46 |
| Apr 2026 | 1,288.96 |
| Mar 2026 | 1,282.33 |
TRAI counts 1,319.19 million wireless subscribers, which includes machine-to-machine (M2M) cellular connections and fixed wireless access (FWA). Of these, 1,212.80 million were active wireless (mobile) subscribers on the date of peak VLR, a count of SIMs actually in use on the network.
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Wireless subscribers, end of September 2026 | 1,319.19 million | TRAI, 27th October 2026 |
| Net addition in September 2026 | 6.94 million | TRAI, 27th October 2026 |
| Active wireless (mobile) subscribers, peak VLR | 1,212.80 million | TRAI, 27th October 2026 |
| Wireless tele-density (with M2M) | 92.12% | TRAI, 27th October 2026 |
| Wireless (mobile) base excluding FWA, June 2026 | 1,282.38 million | TRAI performance indicators, 12 October 2026 |
The number of active wireless (mobile) subscribers (on the date of peak VLR#) in September 2026 were 1212.80 million. The wireless subscriber base comprises of wireless mobile telephone subscribers (including M2M cellular mobile connections), and FWA subscribers.
Total Telephone Subscribers (Million) 1319.19 48.74 1367.93 Net Addition in September 2026 (Million) 6.94 0.29 7.23 Monthly Growth Rate 0.53% 0.60% 0.53% Share of Urban Subscribers 57.94% 89.09% 59.05% Share of Rural Subscribers 42.06% 10.91% 40.95% Overall Tele-density @ with M2M cellular mobile connections 92.12% 3.40% 95.52%
Total Telephone Subscribers (Million) 1312.25 48.45 1360.70 Net Addition in August 2026 (Million) 5.98 0.44 6.42
Total Telephone Subscribers (Million) 1306.27 48.01 1354.28 Net Addition in July 2026 (Million) 6.02 0.19 6.20
Total Telephone Subscribers (Million) 1300.25 47.82 1348.08 Net Addition in June 2026 (Million) 5.79 -0.81 4.98
Total Telephone Subscribers (Million) 1294.46 48.64 1343.10 Net Addition in May 2026 (Million) 5.50 0.06 5.56
Total Telephone Subscribers (Million) 1288.96 48.58 1337.54 Net Addition in April 2026 (Million) 6.63 0.33 6.95
Total Telephone Subscribers (Million) 1282.33 48.25 1330.58 Net Addition in March 2026 (Million) 9.02 0.25 9.28
the wireless (mobile) subscriber base increased from 1265.73 million at the end of March 2026 to 1282.38 million at the end of June 2026, registering a rate of growth 1.32% over the previous quarter.
TRAI counts 1,319.19 million wireless subscribers at the end of September 2026, including M2M cellular and fixed wireless access connections. Excluding FWA, the wireless (mobile) base was 1,282.38 million at the end of June 2026.
1,212.80 million active wireless (mobile) subscribers on the date of peak VLR in September 2026 (TRAI).
Wireless tele-density was 92.12% and overall tele-density, wireless plus wireline, was 95.52% at the end of September 2026 (TRAI, including M2M cellular connections).
This figure is from TRAI's own release or a report quoting it. We recheck it monthly. If you have a newer or better source, send it to us.
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