Bharti Airtel added 2.93 million mobile subscribers in May 2026, outpacing Reliance Jio which added 2.15 million, according to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data. India's overall telephone subscriber base rose by 5.56 million to 1.343 billion during the month, with mobile subscribers increasing by 5.09 million to 1.277 billion.
The monthly growth of 0.43% in wireless subscribers brought the total wireless subscriber base to 1.294 billion in May from 1.289 billion in April. Vodafone Idea added 121,000 subscribers, while BSNL lost 105,000 users. MTNL and Reliance Communications together lost fewer than 4,000 subscribers. Despite Airtel's higher additions, Jio remained the largest mobile operator with 501.44 million subscribers, followed by Airtel at 483.81 million, Vodafone Idea at 198.66 million, and BSNL at 92.91 million.
Private operators accounted for 92.71% of the mobile subscriber base, with BSNL and MTNL holding the remaining 7.29%. The total telephone subscriber base, including wireline connections, increased by 0.42% from the previous month. Tele-density in India improved to 94.02% from 93.69%, reflecting continued growth in mobile connectivity across urban and rural areas.
The TRAI data highlights a competitive market with Airtel gaining momentum in subscriber additions during May 2026, narrowing the gap with Jio, which remains the market leader with over 501 million wireless subscribers.