TRAI

Telecom subscriber base grew to 134.3 crore in May, driven by net additions on the Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio networks, according to Trai data released on Thursday. Airtel led the growth in subscriber base with net addition of 29.8 lakh subscribers over the month of April, comprising 29.26 lakh in the mobile segment and 53,809 in fixed line connection segment. It was followed by Reliance Jio, which reported a net addition of 22.55 lakh subscribers, comprising 21.54 lakh in the mobile segment and 1.01 lakh in thefixed line segment. Both private telecom operators jointly contributed 52.36 lakh new subscribers, or about 94 per cent, in the total net addition of 55.6 lakh subscribers in May. "The number of total telephone subscribers in India increased from 1,337.54 million at the end of April 2026 to 1,343.10 million at the end of May 2026, thereby showing a monthly growth rate of 0.42 per cent," Trai's monthly data subscriber report for May 2026 said. The total number of wireles

With tele-density nearing saturation levels, telecom operators may have to rely less on adding users and more on monetising data, broadband and digital services

The telecom operator told the government its priority postpaid plans are compliant with TRAI and DoT norms and do not degrade service quality for prepaid users

Bharti Airtel has defended its new "Priority Postpaid" service before a Department of Telecommunications (DoT) panel, asserting that the offering, powered by 5G network slicing, neither violates net neutrality norms nor degrades service quality for prepaid users. According to the submission made by Airtel in response to a clarification sought by the Committee on Communications and Information Technology, the company said not allowing the use of mainstream features of 5G to offer services will jeopardise the potential of 6G in the country. "Priority Postpaid is implemented in a content-neutral manner and is fully consistent with the existing TRAI and DoT framework. There is no blocking, throttling, content-specific prioritisation, zero-rating, or preferential treatment of any application," Airtel said. Airtel had launched "Priority Postpaid" plans on May 19, which promise consistent speed even in crowded markets for postpaid customers. "Airtel Priority feature does not degrade the .

Move to create competition for high value postpaid customer base; net neutrality norms may come into question

India's plans for satellite-to-smartphone connectivity face a reality check, with Apple and Google reportedly flagging hardware constraints, spectrum policy challenges, and the need for globally align

Trai has proposed penalties on telecom operators for improper complaint handling, delayed reporting and non-compliance with revised grievance redressal rules

Today's opinion wrap explores the economic fallout of the West Asia conflict, digital governance reforms, telecom disaster preparedness and the growing role of AI in policymaking

This historical context is worth recalling amid the overwhelming response to the government's latest mobile siren experiment as a disaster management measure

Regulator seeks stakeholder views on spectrum use for V2X networks aimed at improving road safety, reducing accidents, and enabling intelligent transport systems

Despite PM-WANI's push, India's public WiFi expansion faces weak business models and poor infrastructure, raising questions over its long-term digital relevance

Industry body raises concerns over regulatory overreach, data-sharing mandates and impact on safe harbour protections under draft telecom rules

JioStar moves Bombay High Court, challenging CCI's jurisdiction in Asianet dispute, arguing the matter falls under TRAI's regulatory domain

Telecom firms and ISPs have urged Trai to place responsibility for digital connectivity costs and building ratings on property managers, not service providers

Trai pushes telcos to offer cheaper voice-SMS plans, aiming to improve affordability and digital inclusion amid rising concerns over pricing and limited competition

Regulator seeks stakeholder inputs on spectrum assignment, charges and D2D services under satellite network-as-a-service model

Draft amendment seeks equal validity for voice-SMS and bundled STVs, with proportionately lower pricing to ensure fair, non-discriminatory choices for consumers who do not use data

The telecom regulator has asked the Reliance group firm to make all tariff plans uniformly available across platforms to ensure transparency and consumer choice

Trai tightens compliance norms with graded penalties and interest for delays in tariff reporting by telecom service providers

Artificial Intelligence is no longer peripheral to telecom, and is becoming integral to how networks are designed, managed, and experienced, Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said on Monday. AI is already enabling self-optimising networks, predictive maintenance, intelligent spectrum management, enhanced cybersecurity, improved energy efficiency, and better customer experience, he noted. "India is undergoing one of the fastest digital transformations in the world. Telecommunication and digital technologies are now core infrastructure for economic growth, governance, and social inclusion," Lahoti said, speaking at a session of the 33rd Convergence India & 11th Smart Future Cities India Expo. At the end of 2025, data subscribers in India crossed one billion mark, with 5G contributing around 400 million. The total wireless data usage was around 25 million terabytes, with 5G contributing over 10 million terabytes. "This is the size of digital ..