Bharti Airtel Gains in Mumbai as Jio and Vodafone Idea Lose Mobile Users: TRAI

Highlights

Bharti Airtel added 127,930 wireless mobile subscribers in Mumbai in May 2026.
Reliance Jio lost 84,067 subscribers, while Vodafone Idea lost 108,835 subscribers in the Mumbai circle.
Mumbai’s total wireless mobile subscriber base declined by 67,491, even as India’s overall mobile base grew by 5,094,201 subscribers.

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Bharti Airtel Gains in Mumbai While Jio and Vodafone Idea Lose Subscribers: TRAI

Mumbai was one of the few telecom circles to record a decline in wireless mobile subscribers during May 2026, even as India’s overall mobile subscriber base continued to grow.

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Key Highlights

Bharti Airtel added 127,930 wireless mobile subscribers in Mumbai in May 2026.
Reliance Jio lost 84,067 subscribers and Vodafone Idea lost 108,835 subscribers in Mumbai.
Mumbai’s total wireless mobile base declined by 67,491, even as India’s overall mobile base grew by 5.09 million.

According to the latest telecom subscription data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Mumbai’s wireless mobile subscriber base declined from 40,379,468 at the end of April 2026 to 40,311,977 at the end of May 2026. The circle recorded a net decline of 67,491 wireless mobile subscribers during the month.

Airtel Was the Only Major Private Operator to Add Subscribers in Mumbai

Operator-wise data shows that Bharti Airtel was the only major private telecom operator to add wireless mobile subscribers in the Mumbai circle during May.

Airtel’s wireless mobile subscriber base in Mumbai increased from 16,078,527 in April to 16,206,457 in May, adding 127,930 subscribers during the month.

Jio and Vodafone Idea Lost Subscribers

Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea both reported subscriber declines in Mumbai during May 2026. Jio’s wireless mobile subscriber base declined from 13,426,809 in April to 13,342,742 in May, resulting in a loss of 84,067 subscribers.

Also Read: UP East, UP West, Bihar Lead Mobile Number Porting Requests in May 2026: TRAI

Vodafone Idea recorded an even larger decline the operator’s wireless mobile subscriber base fell from 10,821,735 to 10,712,900, representing a loss of 108,835 subscribers during the month.

The combined subscriber losses reported by Jio, Vodafone Idea and BSNL outweighed Airtel’s additions, resulting in an overall decline in Mumbai’s wireless mobile subscriber base during May.

Delhi Recorded Strong Subscriber Growth

Mumbai’s performance stood in contrast to Delhi, another major metro telecom circle. According to TRAI, Delhi’s wireless mobile subscriber base increased from 76,194,241 at the end of April 2026 to 76,908,704 at the end of May 2026, adding 714,463 subscribers during the month.

Also Read: Vodafone Idea Lost Rural Mobile Users in May as Airtel and Jio Gained: TRAI

Bharti Airtel led subscriber additions in Delhi, increasing its subscriber base from 39,262,547 to 39,710,860, a gain of 448,313 subscribers. Vodafone Idea also added 218,314 subscribers in Delhi, while Reliance Jio added 49,120 subscribers. BSNL’s subscriber base declined by 1,284 subscribers during the month.

The comparison highlights how subscriber trends varied significantly between India’s two largest metro telecom circles during May 2026.

India’s Mobile Subscriber Base Continued to Grow

At the national level, India’s wireless mobile subscriber base increased from 1,271,904,668 at the end of April 2026 to 1,276,998,869 at the end of May 2026, adding 5,094,201 subscribers.

While India’s overall mobile market continued to expand, Mumbai emerged as one of the few telecom circles to witness an overall decline. Airtel managed to add subscribers during the month, but the combined losses reported by Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea pushed the Mumbai circle into negative territory, according to the latest TRAI data.

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