Reliance Jio Surpasses Airtel as India's Largest Telecom Operator

Strategic Insights -

Reliance Jio, the flagship telecom company of Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries, has continued its dominance in the country's telecom market. According to the latest industry data collated by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for July, Jio led with an active subscriber base of 466.49 million, surpassing Airtel's 388.8 million subscribers. Vodafone Idea (Vi) trailed behind with 171.61 million subscribers. This significant growth in market share has been driven by Jio's focus on expanding its presence in various circles, including metros and A-circles.

Key Takeaways:

  • Reliance Jio's active subscriber market share increased by 150bps to 43% in the last 12 months till July, driven by gains across all circles.
  • Airtel's active subscriber market share moderated slightly by 30bps to 36% as its market share gains in metros have been offset by market share decline in B and C circles.
  • Vis active subscriber market share declined by 160bps to 16%, driven by metro, A, and B circles.
  • Jio and Airtel dominated data subscriber additions with 2.7 million and 2.4 million users, respectively.
  • The sector's wireless broadband subscriber (4G/5G) grew by 3.6 million in July, in line with the run-rate during 2025.
  • Airtel and Jio added 10bps data subscriber market share, taking their combined market share to 83%.
  • Jio led subscriber additions with 2.0 million, while Vis subscriber decline (-1.0 million) continued for the 20th straight month.
  • The sector's mobile number portability (MNP) requests increased to 15 million and are at a record-high level, affecting dealer commissions/SG&A expenses for telcos.
  • Bharti added 0.8 million subscribers, while state-run telecom carriers Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)/Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) lost 3.8 million data subscribers.

Statistics:

  • Reliance Jio's active subscriber market share increased by 150bps to 43%.
  • Airtel's active subscriber market share moderated slightly by 30bps to 36%.
  • Jio and Airtel dominated data subscriber additions with 2.7 million and 2.4 million users, respectively.
  • The sector's wireless broadband subscriber (4G/5G) grew by 3.6 million in July.
  • Airtel and Jio added 10bps data subscriber market share, taking their combined market share to 83%.
  • Jio led subscriber additions with 2.0 million.
  • The sector's mobile number portability (MNP) requests increased to 15 million.
  • Bharti added 0.8 million subscribers.
  • State-run telecom carriers Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)/Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) lost 3.8 million data subscribers.

Sources:

  • Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
  • Jefferies
  • Global Data Point (, )
  • SyndiGate Media Inc.