Jio, Airtel, Vi collectively lose over 1 crore mobile subscribers in September

In September 2024, the Indian telecom sector witnessed a significant subscriber decline, losing over 1 crore users, according to data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

Leading private players Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (Vi) bore the brunt of the losses, while state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) emerged as the only gainer in an otherwise challenging month.

Jio, Airtel, and Vi suffer losses

Reliance Jio, India’s largest telecom operator, faced the sharpest decline, losing 79 lakh subscribers, reducing its total wireless user base to 46.37 crore.

Bharti Airtel, the second-largest operator, shed 14 lakh users, leaving it with 38.34 crore subscribers. Vodafone Idea experienced a net loss of 15 lakh subscribers, bringing its total base down to 21.24 crore.

The combined losses of these three major operators reflect continued challenges in retaining customers amid tariff hikes introduced in July.

Jio increased its prepaid and postpaid plan rates by 12–25%, while Airtel raised prices by up to 25%. The hikes, intended to boost revenues, appear to have triggered customer churn.

BSNL bucks the trend

Contrasting the declines of its private sector peers, BSNL added 8.49 lakh subscribers, raising its tally to 9.18 crore users.

The state-owned provider maintained its competitive edge by refraining from tariff hikes and introducing customer-friendly initiatives, including automated SIM kiosks and spam-blocking features.

Robert Ravi, BSNL's Chairman and Managing Director, confirmed in October that the company would not increase tariffs in the near future. "We are focusing on expanding our market share and providing affordable services to customers," Ravi stated.

Sector-wide impact

India’s total wireless subscriber base decreased by 1.08 crore in September, with teledensity dropping from 85.43% in August to 84.69%.

Both urban and rural areas experienced declines, with urban wireless subscriptions falling by 0.80% and rural subscriptions by 0.95%.

The broadband segment, encompassing wired and wireless users, also contracted, with subscriber numbers decreasing by 51 lakh to 94.4 crore.

Market shares and trends

Despite subscriber losses, Reliance Jio retained its leadership with a 40.20% market share, followed by Airtel at 33.24% and Vodafone Idea at 18.41%.

BSNL held a 7.98% market share. In the broadband category, Jio commanded a 50.61% share, ahead of Airtel’s 30.20% and Vi’s 13.38%.

Mobile number portability (MNP) requests surged during September, with 1.33 crore applications filed. The increase underscores growing customer dissatisfaction and shifting loyalties in the wake of higher tariffs.