Reliance Jio, India's largest telecom operator, has added the most 5G users in the last two years. We are not talking about the 5G FWA (fixed-wireless access) users here. We are only talking about the 5G mobile or eMBB (enhanced mobile broadband) customers. This also makes sense as Jio's 5G is most widely present in India. Jio has always been more aggressive compared to the other telcos whether it is in pricing or a new network roll out. Let's take a look at the key numbers here.
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The figures for Bharti Airtel show that it added 102 million 5G users in two years. When it came to Reliance Jio, the telco added 144 milllion 5G users in the same time frame. So the difference between Airtel and Jio is quite high. The figures come from CLSA, but the telcos have also reported these numbers in their quarterly reports.
By the end of FY26, Jio could inch closer to the 300 million 5G user mark as more users upgrade their devices and Jio's 5G reaches more locations of the country. It is worth noting that Vodafone Idea is not here in this comparison because the telco only started 5G rollout in 2025. Vi has not yet reported the number of 5G subscribers it has in a separate manner.
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Both Airtel and Jio have now made it mandatory for the users to recharge with the 2GB daily data plans for getting 5G. Vodafone Idea on the other hand is offering 5G with plans starting at Rs 299 only in most circles. It will be interesting to see if Vodafone Idea reports 5G subscribers separately for the December 2025 quarter. The results from the telcos are expected in the January of 2026.
