Teleco stocks: Shares of telecommunication companies, such as Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea (Vi), Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL), Tata Teleservices, and Reliance Communications, among others, were in the spotlight on Friday, August 28, as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) published the telecom subscription data for July.
The telecom subscriber base in the country increased marginally to 135.3 crore in June 2026 from 134.81 crore in June, driven by a net addition in the subscriber base of telecom operators such as Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio.
Bharti Airtel led subscriber growth in July, adding 28.51 lakh users compared with June. The additions included 26.88 lakh mobile subscribers and 1.63 lakh fixed-line connections.
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It was followed by Reliance Jio, which reported a net addition of 26.13 lakh subscribers, comprising 24.47 lakh in the mobile segment and 1.66 lakh in the fixed-line segment.
Together, the two accounted for 88.13% or about 54.64 lakh of the total 62 lakh net additions during the month under review.
The number of wireless subscribers, comprising mobile and fixed wireless access, saw a monthly growth of 0.46% to 130.63 crore for the reporting month, from 130.03 crore in June 2026.
Vodafone Idea saw a net decline of 23,206 wireless subscribers during the month, while BSNL saw a net addition of 10,630 in its wireless subscriber base. MTNL lost 34,901 subscribers in July.
Here is how telecom shares were performing on August 28
Bharti Airtel
Shares of Bharti Airtel were oscillating between positive and negative zones on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) during the trading session on Friday, August 28.
At around 3:22 PM, the stock was trading 0.12% higher at ₹1,880.60 per equity share, compared with the previous session's closing price of ₹1,878.30 apiece. The scrip has fallen more than 3% in the past week and 1% over the month. On a year-to-date basis, it has lost 11%.
Vodafone Idea
The stock of Vodafone Idea fell by as much as 2.5% to hit an intraday low of ₹14.60 per equity share, as against Thursday's closing price of ₹14.97 apiece. At the time of writing, the scrip stood at ₹14.69 per unit, down by 1.87%.
The shares have jumped 5% in the past week and 13% over the month. It has soared more than 26% on a YTD basis. While the stock hit a 52-week high of ₹15.37 apiece on August 26, 2026, it touched a year's low of ₹6.46 per equity share on September 3, 2025.
MTNL
Shares of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) soared as much as 6.4% to hit the session's peak of ₹28.26 apiece during the morning bell on the NSE on Friday, August 28, compared with the closing price of ₹26.56 per unit it hit during Thursday's session.
At the time of writing, the stock was trading 2.26% higher at ₹27.16 per equity share. The scrip has risen more than 1% in the past week and nearly 2% over the month. On a YTD basis, however, it has declined nearly 26%.
While the shares hit a 52-week high of ₹46.44 on September 17, 2025, they touched a year's low of ₹21.26 per unit on March 30, 2026.
Disclaimer: This article is written purely for informational purposes and should not be considered investment advice from Upstox. Securities mentioned are illustrative and not recommendations. Please consult a financial advisor before making any investment decisions.