Year: 2026
India Ratings and Research Projects 5% Growth in Telecom Operators’ ARPU Without Tariff Increases
Summary:India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) expects India’s leading telecom operators to achieve 5% ARPU growth without increasing tariffs, driven by rising data consumption and a growing base of higher-value broadband subscribers. Airtel currently leads the industry with an ARPU of Rs 275, followed by Jio at Rs 216 and Vodafone Idea at Rs 177. Meanwhile, […]
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Digital Bharat Nidhi Joins Hands with Tamil Nadu Government to Expand Rural Broadband Access Across the State
Summary:Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN), the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Tamil Nadu government, along with TANFINET, have signed an agreement to expand rural broadband connectivity across Tamil Nadu under the Amended BharatNet Program. With financial support from the Centre, the initiative aims to provide more than 5 lakh rural fibre-to-the-home connections and extend on-demand […]
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India Adds 9 Lakh Active Mobile Subscribers in September 2026, Industry Report Reveals
Summary:India’s active mobile subscriber base, excluding M2M connections, increased by 0.9 million to 1,068 million in September 2026, according to Jefferies. Airtel lost 0.2 million active subscribers following tariff hikes, while Vodafone Idea’s subscriber losses moderated to 0.3 million, indicating possible stabilisation. Meanwhile, M2M connections grew by 4.3 million to reach 145 million, with Airtel […]
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India Has 130 Crore Mobile Connections, but Why Is Urban India Driving Most of the Growth?
Summary:India’s mobile connection base has reached 130 crore, but the total includes machine-to-machine SIMs and does not represent the number of unique users. According to TRAI’s September data, urban areas accounted for 76% of net mobile additions, compared with 24% in rural areas, with subscription growth of 0.67% and 0.29%, respectively. M2M connections contributed around […]
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COAI Calls on DoT to Permit Standard-Power Outdoor Operations in the 6 GHz Band
Summary:The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has urged the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to expedite rule changes permitting standard-power outdoor use of the delicensed lower 6 GHz band, following an expert committee’s recommendation for 36 dBm operations. COAI says fixed wireless access and point-to-multipoint technology could help overcome fibre deployment challenges and improve last-mile […]
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MHA Invites Stakeholder Feedback on Exclusive Broadband Network for Police, Paramilitary Forces and Disaster Response Teams
Summary:The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has invited public and stakeholder feedback on a proposed nationwide Broadband Public Protection and Disaster Relief (BB-PPDR) network to provide mission-critical voice, video and data services to around 3 million police, paramilitary and emergency response personnel. The project will be tested at 10 locations, with the ministry seeking recommendations […]
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Most Affordable Broadband Packages Offered by Jio, Airtel and BSNL
Summary:Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and BSNL offer competitive wired broadband plans with different prices and benefits. Jio’s Rs 399 plan provides speeds of up to 30 Mbps, while Airtel’s Rs 499 package offers up to 40 Mbps along with Adobe Express Premium and Google One benefits. BSNL’s Rs 499 plan delivers speeds of up to […]
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TRAI Reports 666.09 Million Urban Internet Subscribers and 448.08 Million Rural Users in June 2026
Summary:TRAI reported that India had 666.09 million urban internet subscribers and 448.08 million rural subscribers at the end of June 2026, with respective quarterly increases of 14.16 million and 7.21 million. Urban areas recorded 129.03 subscriptions per 100 people, compared with 49.07 in rural regions, highlighting the persistent digital connectivity gap. TRAI noted that these […]
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Jio Aims to Extend Satellite Broadband Connectivity to Every Indian: Key Details
Summary:Reliance Jio aims to expand satellite broadband connectivity to households across India by exploring an indigenous low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation, ground infrastructure and partnerships with global satellite operators. The company is awaiting government approval to launch its satellite services, which could help bring high-speed internet to areas where fibre connectivity is difficult to […]
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Jio Platforms Looks to Technology Infrastructure and Digital Services to Fuel Growth
Summary:Jio Platforms plans to expand its home broadband customer base from around 30 million to 100 million using proprietary wireless technology, targeting 19,000 PIN codes, particularly beyond tier I and tier II cities. Its technology already serves 6.5 million customers and contributes 40% of new additions, with future versions expected to deliver speeds of up […]
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