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Highlights
- Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is set to gain an edge over private telecom operators like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea in mobile subscriber growth in 2026.
- BSNL’s net mobile additions for September 2026 stand at 625,633, with a monthly growth rate of 0.67%
- Rural mobile subscribers rose by 233,851 connections, bringing the total to 311,112,61 connections in September 2026.
Andrew Bonwick
Vice President of Product Development at Relm Insurance
Madhav Sheth
CEO of Ai+ Smartphone
Stephen Rose
CEO Render Networks
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) recorded a higher monthly mobile subscriber growth rate than Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea in September 2026. The state-run operator’s mobile base increased by approximately 0.67%, according to calculations based on the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) subscription data.
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Key Highlights
- BSNL registered the highest monthly mobile subscriber growth rate among India’s four major operators.
- Its net additions of 6.26 lakh connections exceeded Vodafone Idea’s 5.50 lakh.
- Rural connections accounted for approximately 37.4% of BSNL’s net mobile additions.
BSNL added 6,25,633 mobile connections on a net basis during September, taking its total mobile subscriber base from 9,36,70,699 at the end of August to 9,42,96,332. Its share of India’s mobile connections stood at approximately 7.25% at the end of September.
Airtel recorded monthly mobile subscriber growth of approximately 0.55%, followed by Jio at 0.53% and Vodafone Idea (Vi) at 0.28%. All percentage growth figures are calculated from the August and September subscriber totals in TRAI’s report.
Also Read: BSNL Needs 3.5 Lakh 4G Towers, to Seek Rs 75,000 Crore
BSNL Adds More Mobile Connections Than Vi
BSNL also finished ahead of Vodafone Idea in absolute net mobile additions. Vi added 5,50,119 connections during September, compared with BSNL’s 6,25,633.
However, Reliance Jio and Airtel continued to lead in absolute additions. Jio added 27,12,632 mobile connections, while Airtel added 26,92,096.
| Operator | Net mobile additions in September | Monthly growth rate |
| BSNL | 6,25,633 | 0.67% |
| Bharti Airtel | 26,92,096 | 0.55% |
| Reliance Jio | 27,12,632 | 0.53% |
| Vodafone Idea | 5,50,119 | 0.28% |
BSNL therefore ranked first among the four operators in percentage growth and third in absolute net additions. Its smaller subscriber base meant it needed fewer net additions to achieve a higher percentage growth rate than Jio and Airtel.
