Mumbai, April 7: Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio, the leading players in India’s telecom sector, are poised to grow significantly at the expense of Vodafone Idea (Vi) in the fourth quarter of FY26. This trend has been ongoing and is expected to persist. The overall telecom industry is projected to experience steady growth in Q4 FY26, driven by an increase in average revenue per user (ARPU) and robust subscriber additions from the market leaders.
According to a report by Centrum, Airtel and Jio are anticipated to achieve a 1% quarter-over-quarter ARPU growth, primarily fueled by the migration from 2G to 4G/5G networks and an increase in postpaid subscriptions. The report indicates that these market leaders will continue to thrive at the cost of Vodafone Idea.
Jio is expected to gain approximately 5 million new customers, while Airtel may add around 6.5 million users. In contrast, Vodafone Idea is projected to lose about 1 million customers quarter-over-quarter. The report also highlights that data consumption is set to rise this quarter, driven by the expanding 4G/5G penetration, as both Airtel and Jio enhance their 5G coverage across 90% of districts.
Additionally, there are expectations of another round of tariff increases by July 2026, estimated to be around 12-15%, according to the report.
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