The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released its September 2024 data, revealing a challenging month for India’s leading telecom players, Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi), while BSNL surged forward with notable subscriber gains.

Key Subscriber Changes

• Reliance Jio: Experienced a sharp decline, shedding 7.9 million subscribers, dropping its base to 463.78 million from 471.74 million in August.
• Vodafone Idea (Vi): Lost 1.5 million users, reducing its total to 212.45 million.
• Bharti Airtel: Reported a loss of 1.4 million subscribers, ending September with 383.48 million users.
• BSNL: Gained 849,493 subscribers, boosting its base to 91.89 million, driven by affordable pricing and steady 4G rollout.

These losses align with tariff hikes introduced by private operators in July, raising rates by 11–25%, significantly impacting affordability.

Despite subscriber reductions, Reliance Jio maintained its leadership with a 40.20% market share, followed by Airtel at 33.24% and Vodafone Idea at 18.41%. BSNL’s market share rose to 7.98%, underscoring its growing market relevance.

Active Subscriber Insights

• Jio added 1.73 million active users, raising its active base to 444.49 million.
• BSNL gained 1.17 million active users, improving its count to 54.77 million.
• Airtel and Vi saw declines of 1.31 million and 3.11 million active users, respectively.

BSNL and Airtel were the only operators to expand their high-speed 4G/5G user bases:

• BSNL: Added 1.5 million 4G subscribers, reaching 33.50 million.
• Airtel: Increased its total to 276.68 million, adding 0.42 million users.

India’s overall wireless subscriber base declined by 0.87%, falling to 1.153 billion from 1.169 billion in August. Urban subscriptions dropped to 628.12 million, and rural subscribers decreased to 525.60 million, reflecting the broader impact of higher tariffs.

BSNL’s strategic focus on competitive pricing and 4G expansion has helped it capitalize on consumer discontent with rising tariffs by private telcos. The data signals potential headwinds for Jio, Airtel, and Vi in maintaining customer loyalty amid changing market dynamics.

Credit: This article is based on information from The Economic Times, Mint, and Financial Express.

Key Highlights:

1. Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea lost millions of subscribers in September due to tariff hikes.
2. BSNL added 849,493 subscribers, driven by competitive pricing and 4G rollout.
3. Jio retained its lead with 40.20% market share, while BSNL improved to 7.98%.
4. India’s overall wireless subscriber base fell by 0.87%, reflecting the impact of rising tariffs.