India’s internet user base crosses 1.09 billion, grows over 6% in three months: TRAI

Total internet subscribers in India rose to 1,092.79 million from 1028.61 million in December 2025 at the end of March 2026, up 6.24 per cent, a report has said.

The report from TRAI said the total internet subscribers comprised 46.54 million wired subscribers and 1,046.26 million wireless subscribers, with the broadband base at 1,065.88 million and narrowband at 26.91 million.

The broadband subscriber base grew 5.81 per cent quarter on quarter till March 2026, while narrowband subscriptions surged 26.62 per cent.

Wireline tele-density increased from 3.33 per cent at the end of December 2025 to 3.38 per cent at the end of March 2026, with a quarterly rate of growth of 1.64 per cent.

Total telephone subscribers rose to 1,330.58 million, lifting overall tele‑density to 93.26 per cent from 91.74 per cent in the previous quarter.

Meanwhile, Monthly Average Revenue per User (ARPU) for wireless service increased 0.76 per cent to Rs 196.04, and on a yearly basis, monthly ARPU for wireless service increased by 7.15 per cent in this quarter.

On an all-India average, the overall minutes of usage (MOU) per month increased by 0.43 per cent from 1012 in the quarter ended December 2025 to 1017 in the next quarter.

Prepaid minutes of usage per subscriber are 1074, and postpaid minutes of usage per subscriber per month are 477 in Q1 CY26.

The License Fee (LF) increased from Rs 6,733 crore for the quarter ended December 2025 to Rs 6,936 crore for the next quarter.

The quarterly and the annual rates of growth in license fees are 3.02 per cent and 9.41 per cent, respectively, in this quarter.

A total of 917 private satellite TV channels have been permitted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) for uplinking only/downlinking only/both uplinking & downlinking.

Out of 908 permitted satellite TV channels which are available for downlinking in India, 342 satellite pay TV channels are operational as of March-end.

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