Average mobile-data use rose to 28.39 GB a month per wireless data subscriber in April to June 2026, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's latest quarterly report. The figure was 26.70 GB in the March-ending quarter, with the regulator reporting growth of 6.32%.
Released on 12 October 2026, the Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicators report covers 1 April to 30 June. Its statistics rely mainly on information supplied by service providers. The publication gives a national picture of that quarter, rather than a measurement of October consumption or current recharge prices.
More traffic, with 4G still carrying the larger share
Total wireless mobile-data traffic increased from 77,953 petabytes in the March-ending quarter to 84,424 petabytes in April to June, a reported rise of 8.30%. The number of wireless data subscribers also increased, from 1,026.75 million to 1,045.55 million.
The 28.39 GB measure is a monthly average for wireless data subscribers. It does not describe every Indian's usage, a daily allowance or the amount every customer needs to buy.
Within the quarter's wireless traffic, 4G carried 46,854 petabytes, or 55.50% of the total. The 5G figure was 37,448 petabytes, accounting for 44.36%. The report put the shares for 2G and 3G at 0.06% and 0.09%, respectively.
These percentages measure the volume of data carried on each technology. They cannot be read as the share of Indians with a 5G phone or the percentage of the country covered by 5G. The figures also show that 4G continued to carry more data than 5G during the reported period.
Voice usage moved in the other direction: average monthly wireless minutes per subscriber fell from 959 to 933, a decline TRAI puts at 2.65%. That comparison records usage; it does not, by itself, establish why consumers spent fewer minutes on voice calls.
Revenue per GB is different from a recharge price
Average revenue realisation per GB of wireless data fell from Rs 7.51 to Rs 7.13, with TRAI reporting a decline of 5.07%. This is the sector's revenue measure for data consumed during the quarter. It is not a retail offer allowing every subscriber to buy data at Rs 7.13 per GB.
Monthly wireless average revenue per user, or ARPU, increased from Rs 184.91 to Rs 187.12. The regulator reported growth of 1.19% from the preceding quarter and 3.11% from a year earlier. ARPU does not represent a household bill or the listed price of a particular prepaid or postpaid plan.
TRAI calculates this measure using average subscribers and revenue adjusted for interconnect usage and roaming settlement charges. Its methodological note says service providers use different calculations in their financial statements. An operator's separately published ARPU therefore should not be treated as directly interchangeable with the regulator's figure.
For a consumer reviewing a recharge, the plan's actual price and eligibility remain separate checks. Dalimss News's earlier report on Airtel's free-roaming conditions illustrates why a service benefit needs to be read alongside its terms. Neither national revenue figure in this report establishes a new consumer tariff.
Subscription totals include machine connections
Internet subscriptions, including machine-to-machine or M2M connections, increased from 1,092.79 million to 1,114.17 million, a rise of 1.96%. The report separately provides totals excluding M2M: these increased from 1,002.50 million to 1,014.88 million, or 1.23%.
Both series count subscriptions rather than unique people. Removing M2M connections does not turn the remaining total into a count of individual Indians online. Keeping the two series separate is necessary when comparing growth, because they start from different bases.
Broadband subscriptions including M2M rose from 1,065.88 million to 1,087.50 million, up 2.03%. Narrowband subscriptions declined from 26.91 million to 26.67 million. Fixed wired internet subscriptions increased from 46.54 million to 47.73 million; that category is distinct from wireline telephone subscriptions.
The urban-rural split also concerns connections. Urban internet subscriptions totalled 666.09 million, against 448.08 million in rural areas. There were 129.03 subscriptions per 100 urban residents and 49.07 per 100 rural residents. An urban density above 100 is not a claim that more than 100% of residents use the internet.
Comparisons with older reports need care. TRAI says Airtel supplied revised figures from the June 2025 quarter that included its M2M subscriber base. Preceding-quarter wireless subscriber figures and related indicators were recalculated, making the comparison figures in this edition the relevant starting point.
These national counts do not measure service at a particular address. For that separate question, Dalimss News has covered TRAI's platform for rating digital connectivity in buildings. The quarterly report establishes changes in reported usage and subscriptions; it announces no new recharge rule or network rollout deadline.
