Source: Jio Red Herring Prospectus (RHP), Industry Overview, Sections 2 and 3.
Where the market stands
The RHP describes India's mobile connectivity market as the second largest in the world, with over 1,282.4 million customers as of 30 June 2026. Of these, 1,021.4 million use mobile broadband. The base has grown from 543.6 million in FY2019 to 1,002.3 million in FY2026, which is nearly double in seven years. In March 2026, the base had 573.0 million 4G customers and 426.7 million 5G customers.
Why this matters for India
The RHP calls India a mobile-first economy, where the smartphone sits at the centre of daily life. People use it for payments, government services, learning, entertainment and shopping. Mobile broadband is the way most of them reach these services, so its spread decides how widely the benefits of digital India are shared. The RHP also notes that India is one of the most affordable mobile markets in the world.
The rural gap
Growth has not been even. Mobile broadband penetration in urban areas exceeds 110%, while rural penetration is about 45%. The RHP says 261.0 million existing users are still on 2G and not connected to mobile broadband. It puts the gap down mainly to differences in affordability and device access.
Rural India is moving all the same. The RHP reports that rural internet customers rose from 227.0 million in FY2019 to 440.9 million in March 2026. That is close to double, though it counts internet customers and not only mobile broadband. The extract does not give a rural-only count of mobile broadband customers.
What can close the gap
The RHP points to devices first. About 80% to 85% of mobile customers now use smartphones, against about 20% to 25% in FY2016. Low-cost smart keypad phones such as JioBharat, priced below ₹1,000, have widened access among price-sensitive users in rural and semi-urban areas. The RHP adds that continued affordability gains, bundling and government digital inclusion programmes are expected to move all users to 4G or 5G devices by the end of FY2032. It also lists rural funding such as the Digital Bharat Nidhi as supportive.
For FY2031, the RHP estimates 1,339.4 million mobile broadband customers, about 98.01% of all mobile customers, with penetration at 87.82% of the population. These are the RHP's estimates, not reported figures.
In short
Mobile broadband has crossed one billion customers, but about 45% rural penetration shows where the next gains lie. Cheaper devices and affordable plans matter most for bringing rural users online.
Sources
- Jio Red Herring Prospectus (RHP), Industry Overview, Section 2 (Macroeconomic overview) and Section 3 (Mobile connectivity market in India), including Figure 3.1 and Figure 3.3.
Industry data in the RHP is taken from the Analysys Mason Report, which the company commissioned and paid for. Figures labelled as estimates are the RHP's own and have not been changed by us. Where the RHP extract gives no figure, we have said so.