Q1 FY26 results: Private telcos show steady growth across 5G and subscriber metrics

The Q1 FY26 results for Indian private telecom operators, Vodafone Idea (Vi), Reliance Jio, and Bharti Airtel, have been released, revealing continued momentum in subscriber growth and 5G deployment.

Vodafone Idea, which holds 5G spectrum, has begun rolling out 5G services in cities across its 17 priority circles. While Vi offers a range of plans with unlimited 4G or high-volume data bundles, all three operators currently provide complimentary 5G access on select plans.

According to a report by Centrum, India's telecom sector performed in line with expectations during Q1 FY26. The quarter was marked by consistent subscriber additions, steady growth in tower and digital infrastructure, and meaningful progress in 5G expansion. Leading operators, Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, focused on expanding their networks and retaining users.

A key performance metric, Average Revenue Per User (ARPU), continued to show stable growth across the board.

Subscriber growth and ARPU trends

Reliance Jio added 9.9 million new users, pushing its total subscriber base to 498.1 million. Its ARPU rose by 1.3% quarter-on-quarter to Rs 209, driven by a stronger user mix and increased adoption of Fixed Wireless Access (FWA).

Bharti Airtel gained 1.2 million new subscribers, with 3.9 million new smartphone users. Its 5G customer base reached 152 million. ARPU increased 2% quarter-on-quarter to Rs 250, supported by postpaid upgrades and rising smartphone usage. The company also added 0.7 million postpaid users and recorded 0.94 million new broadband connections, its highest to date, including 0.54 million via FWA.

Vodafone Idea (Vi) added 1 million new 4G users but lost 0.5 million subscribers overall. Its 4G/5G subscriber base now stands at 127.4 million. Vi’s ARPU saw a marginal increase to Rs165 from Rs 164 in the previous quarter, reflecting a slight improvement in customer quality.

The rollout of 5G services accelerated during the quarter. Vi extended its 5G network to key cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarh, and Patna, with a target of achieving pan-India coverage by August 2025. Airtel ended the quarter with 152 million 5G users, while Jio led with 213 million.

Infrastructure and digital services

Indus Towers delivered strong performance in the infrastructure segment, adding 2,468 new macro towers and 5,777 co-locations, bringing its total portfolio to over 251,800 towers and 411,200 co-locations. The company also made significant progress in solarisation, reaching 32,000 sites after adding 2,250 new ones.

In the digital services domain, Tata Communications reported a revenue of Rs 59.6 billion, up 5.8% year-on-year. Its EBITDA margin improved to 19.1%, reflecting operational efficiency. Other digital players, including Indiamart, Info Edge, Nazara Technologies, MapmyIndia, and eMudhra, showed mixed performance levels, with digital adoption continuing to act as a key growth driver.