Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea continued to lose customers for the third consecutive month in September, following tariff hikes in July. According to data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), Jio lost 7.9 million users, Vodafone Idea saw a decline of 1.5 million users, and Airtel’s subscriber base dropped by 1.4 million.
BSNL Gains Subscribers, Strengthens Market Position
BSNL was the only telecom operator to register subscriber growth, adding 849,493 users in September. The state-owned telco benefited from its decision not to increase tariffs, which helped boost its total wireless subscriber base to 91.89 million, up from 91.04 million in August. As a result, BSNL’s market share increased to 7.98%.
Decline in Overall Wireless Subscriber Base
India’s total wireless subscriber base fell from 1.169 billion in August to 1.153 billion in September, marking a 0.87% decline. Urban subscribers dropped from 633.21 million to 628.12 million, while rural subscribers decreased from 530.63 million to 525.60 million, according to the Trai report.
Jio Maintains Market Leadership Despite Losses; BSNL, Airtel Gain
Despite losing subscribers, Jio retained its position as the largest operator with a 40.20% market share, down from 40.53%. Airtel’s market share grew slightly to 33.24%, while Vodafone Idea’s remained relatively stable at 18.41%. BSNL, on the other hand, gained market share, increasing its stake to 7.98%.
Active Subscriber Trends Show Mixed Results
Trai’s data on active subscribers showed declines for Airtel and Vodafone Idea. Airtel’s active user base dropped by 1.31 million to 380.68 million, while Vodafone Idea saw a 3.11 million decrease, reaching 179.52 million. In contrast, Jio’s active subscriber count rose to 54.77 million.
Growth in 4G/5G Subscribers for Airtel and BSNL
Bharti Airtel and BSNL led in high-speed 4G/5G subscriber growth. Airtel added 0.42 million new users, bringing its total to 276.68 million, while BSNL saw an addition of 1.5 million users, increasing its base to 33.50 million as it continued expanding its 4G services.
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