Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel Lead Subscriber Growth in September, Impacting BSNL and Vodafone Idea

In September, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio experienced significant expansions in their mobile user bases, witnessing the addition of 1.3 million and 3.4 million subscribers, respectively. This surge in subscribers was particularly noteworthy as it occurred at the expense of government-owned BSNL, which is still in the process of introducing 4G services nationwide, and the financially challenged Vodafone Idea (Vi). Unfortunately, Vi faced a decline, losing 0.7 million mobile users in November and reducing its total base to 228.28 million. BSNL encountered a more substantial setback, losing 2.3 million users and settling at 93.5 million.

More About the Indian Telecom Operators: Jio, Airtel, BSNL, Vi

In stark contrast, Bharti Airtel’s mobile user base reached an impressive 377.78 million, and Reliance Jio expanded its subscriber count to a substantial 449.21 million, according to the latest subscription data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The data further underscored that Jio and Airtel increased their customer market shares to 39.06% and 32.85%, respectively, compared to the previous month, while Vi’s market share continued to contract, reaching 19.78%.

A more in-depth analysis of the Visitor Location Register, a crucial metric reflecting the number of active users on a mobile network, revealed Bharti Airtel‘s exceptional user activity, with 99.57% of its users actively engaging on its network. Jio followed closely with 93.56%, while Vi recorded 87.8% in user activity.

The TRAI data illuminated the overall growth of mobile subscribers in India, reaching 1,150.15 million by the end of September, showcasing a 0.15% monthly growth rate. The monthly growth rates in rural and urban areas were 0.18% and 0.12%, respectively.

Furthermore, TRAI data indicated that approximately 12.65 million users submitted requests for mobile number portability, cumulatively amounting to 890.08 million by the end of September. This reflects the ongoing dynamics in user preferences and choices within the telecom market, highlighting the evolving landscape of the industry.