Private Telcos Lose Over 1 Crore Subscribers In Sept; BSNL Gains 8.5 Lakh Users

Reliance Jio experienced the largest decline, shedding 79.69 lakh subscribers, followed by Vodafone Idea with a loss of 15.53 lakh users and Bharti Airtel with 14.34 lakh fewer customers

Private telecom operators Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea collectively lost more than one crore wireless subscribers in September 2024, according to data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). Meanwhile, state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) surprised the market with a net addition of nearly 8.5 lakh mobile users during the same period.

Subscriber Losses

Reliance Jio experienced the largest decline, shedding 79.69 lakh subscribers, followed by Vodafone Idea with a loss of 15.53 lakh users and Bharti Airtel with 14.34 lakh fewer customers. As a result, Jio's wireless subscriber base fell to 46.37 crore, Airtel's to 38.34 crore, and Vodafone Idea's to 21.24 crore.

In contrast, BSNL increased its wireless subscriber tally to 9.18 crore after adding 8.49 lakh users in September.

Impact of Tariff Hikes

The subscriber losses come after the three private telcos implemented tariff hikes of 10-27 per cent in July 2024. BSNL, however, chose not to increase its tariffs. The company’s Chairman and Managing Director, Robert Ravi, confirmed in October that there would be no immediate price hikes, saying, "We can clearly say we are not going to increase our tariffs in the near future."

Instead, BSNL has introduced various initiatives to attract subscribers, including spam blockers, automated SIM kiosks, and direct-to-device services, signaling an aggressive bid to regain market share.

Broadband Trends

The overall broadband subscriber base in India also witnessed a decline. TRAI reported that total broadband subscribers fell from 949.21 million in August to 944.40 million in September, marking a 0.51 per cent monthly decrease.

Among broadband providers, Reliance Jio remained the market leader with 47.7 crore subscribers (wired and wireless), followed by Bharti Airtel (28.5 crore), Vodafone Idea (12.6 crore), and BSNL (3.7 crore).

National Decline in Wireless Subscribers

India's total wireless subscriber count decreased to 1,153.72 million by the end of September, recording a 0.87 per cent monthly decline. Urban and rural regions registered subscription losses at rates of 0.80 per cent and 0.95 per cent, respectively. Notably, Odisha was the only service area to show growth in wireless subscribers during the month.

TRAI’s data highlights the shifting dynamics in India’s telecom sector, with BSNL leveraging its stable pricing strategy to gain traction while private players face challenges amid rising costs and tariff adjustments.